A Story for Myself
by Grace Grants
Summary: Gaara thinks a lot in his free time. He has friends and he goes to high school, just like every other kid. But what will happen when Gaara finds out a dark secret from his past? Will Sakura still keep falling for him, or will he end up all alone? Gaa/Saku
1. A day in the life

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Hi, everyone! Well hey, this is my first story on Fan Fiction, I hope you all like it :)

I'll try to update it daily, until it get's finished, thank goodness I'm on summer break.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto.

**XXX**

**A Story for Myself**

**A Naruto fanfic**

**Chapter 1**

**A day in the life**

_Another day of high school. Another day alive. Another day of thinking and everything else. _

Gaara sat down in his first period math class, ready to zone out once again. He was wearing khaki cargo shorts and a red Hollister shirt. The red of his shirt almost matched his cherry red hair. None of the teachers really expected the students to do anything anyway, because it was almost summer. So in this time he thought.

_Does anyone else think this hard about things? Or do they just ignore the facts, or do they really _not_ know all the thoughts I think? But then is there really a stupid and a smart? Or does everyone have the same thoughts? Maybe at different times though. Or are we all programmed the same, in a way almost like computers? But then again, some people seem so stereotypical, the dumb jocks who only play sports and hardly get by in school? Or are those the smartest people? Are they all just masking their intelligence because that's what they do? Or is that a rule among people like themselves? Wait, then it'd be kind of like a secret organization or something. Man, am I getting paranoid. Whats wrong with me?_

And once again he wound up with more questions than answers. Finally the ending bell rang and he would now be going to- WHAM!!!

Gaara groaned at the pain left behind from the book that just slammed into his face.

"Gaara!" Naruto shrieked as he ran down the hallway at full speed toward Gaara, who had just stepped out of the math classroom. Gaara hardly had time to rub his throbbing head before Naruto slammed into him and tackled him to the ground. Gaara smiled, remembering that today was Monday. Monday was N.B.D. or Naruto's Bet Day. It was the day that Naruto had to carry out his previously decided bet on Friday. It happened every Monday, and the targets were usually unfortunate, because the bets could get rather humiliating and violent. But mostly of anything went in their group, and they were all used to N.B.D by now.

In the small crowd of teens that had gathered around them Sasuke, Neji, and Choji emerged to Gaara and Naruto, who were now wrestling each other.

Gaara laughed. "Who won?" he asked them.

"Surprisingly Choji, this time," Neji answered. "And there was a double bet, well more like a quadruple bet," so Sasuke won too.

"What?!" Naruto said as he tried to pin down Gaara. "I won too, remember?"

Gaara twisted Naruto's arm around his back.

"Not yet, you havent, and it doesnt look like you're going to either," Sasuke laughed.

"What was the bet in the first place?" Gaara asked while pinning Naruto's other arm as his knee came up and hit Gaara's jaw. "Ow!" He laughed, finally sitting on Naruto's back, Naruto's stomach pinned to the ground.

"Fine!" Naruto yelled. "Sakura won, but it's only because I was caught off guard in the first place!"

"The bet was to see if 1)," Sasuke held up his finger for emphasis, "Naruto would actually throw a book at you and tackle you or not, 2)," another finger went up, "if he would remember or not, 3)" once more a finger waved in the air, "if you would fight back or not, and 4), who would win the fight if you two started fighting, which was the jackpot because not many people thought you would fight Naruto back on a Monday morning." Sasuke smirked.

"The winners will be announced at lunch," Neji concluded to them as the principal, Tsunade, rushed down the hall toward them all.

Gaara noticed that Naruto was wearing a bright orange t-shirt with tan shorts like his. For some reason Naruto loved the color orange.

Tsunade grabbed Naruto by his spiky blonde hair and Gaara by his ear, yanking them up off the floor.

"AND WHAT DO YOU THINK YOURE DOING, GAARA, NARUTO?" Tsunade boomed as everyone else around them scattered, including Sasuke, Neji and Choji, who snickered loudly all the way down the hall.

"Trying to earn some money," Naruto crossed his arms in a childish manner and stuck out his tongue at the high school principal.

Gaara just about went into convulsions trying to hold his laugh after seeing Naruto act the way he did to Tsunade. Tsunade had a rather curvy body, noticed by most boys in the school, but Gaara could care less. She actually was a pretty good principal, not a jerk or anything, and she was cool about the students, although you _definitely _couldn't get away with just anything. Tsunade was a solid principal, and she was STRONG, in the literal sense. Gaara thought his ear was going to get ripped out by the time she let go of him.

"And what was the purpose of you two fighting?" Tsunade asked the two boys in a harsh tone.

"It was a bet," they said simultaneously. Then they both grinned at each other, like there was something that the principal was missing.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and sighed. "_Another_ Monday bet?" she asked Naruto.

Naruto just smirked and showed all his perfect white teeth before laughing devilishly. Tsunade let go of his hair and flipped a detention notepad out of her shirt.

She inhaled sharply then flipped it closed again, stashing it in the pocket of her loose green jacket.

"You know what? You're both not hurt right?" she sighed again as both of them nodded that they weren't.

"Fine, Ill let you off with a warning, but no more bet wrestling, okay?" then under her breath she mumbled, "It wouldn't do Naruto any good to have another detention either, seeing as though he's already had 32 of them."

Naruto just grinned at that too as he nodded again.

"Get to your next classes," she commanded.

"Yes ma'am." Naruto shouted and Gaara rolled his eyes while grinning.

Naruto had Training next, Gym basically, but it took up two class periods and was more intense. Everyone took that class. Gaara had Art next, though. He started off down the main hallway to get to the art classroom that was all the way on the other side of the school.

**XXX**

Hopefully you liked it, and check in for more chapters soon!:) Thanks for reading, and please review, anything to make it better, or anything you want to say:)

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	2. Shukaku

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Thanks for coming back to read Chapter 2, everyone, and if you haven't read chapter 1, go do that! :) This chapter's really short, but this is just leading up, so the third chapter will be longer.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or and of the characters in Naruto. Darn it! lol ;)

**XXX  
**

**A Story for Myself **

**A Naruto fanfic**

**Chapter 2**

**Shukaku  
**

"Gaara, come in, we were just about to start making pottery," Kurenai smiled at him before looking around the room. Gaara half smiled back, an apology for being late.

"You can work with Sakura, since Ino just went to the nurse," the art teacher said.

"Thank you, Ms. Kurenai, and my apologies for being late," Gaara responded quietly. With Kurenai it was better to stay on her good side. The teachers here were all a little odd.

"No problem," she said happily before going on with her lesson about pottery to the class.

Gaara ignored the curious stares he received from the rest of his classmates. He was used to those kinds of stares by now.

Sakura smiled at him happily. Beside Naruto, who was one of Gaara's best friends, Sakura was his other best friend. She had pink hair, and beautiful green eyes. She was wearing light blue faded and ripped jeans and a red American Eagle Polo shirt. He couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked.

"Thank God you came," Sakura mumbled so Kurenai couldn't hear her. "I was afraid I would have to be stuck with Ino-pig for this whole assignment."

Gaara smiled when he heard this. Everyone knew that Sakura and Ino had the oddest rival-friendship ever. But Gaara was also glad because she seemed equally happy to have him as a partner.

_**You know you're better than this.**_

Gaara glanced around the room only half paying attention to Kurenai's lesson.

_Who just said that?_

_**I did.**_

Suddenly Gaara felt a pinching throb in his head. His mind went blank and he could only watch in horror as a raging battle came into view around him.

Sounds of clashing swords and metal came from every direction as Gaara stood in the center of a battlefield. There were men surrounding him in a huge circle. They all held weapons and were posed ready to attack Gaara.

_What? Where the hell am I? _He twisted around quickly, but a man came forward and tried to slash at him. He closed his eyes, panicking. This all felt so real, like a memory that was tangible.

He heard a man cry out in pain, right in front of him. Opening one eye he saw the man who had charged at him, twisted at wrong angles like he hand been crushed by a huge hand. His blood mixed with the sand on the ground, and the rest of the men around Gaara had fear carved in their faces. All the same, the fear turned into anger and over 50 men with swords and bows and arrows charged at Gaara, all at the same time. Dunking down, Gaara closed his eyes again, trying not to picture the mangled body of the first man who had tried to kill him while he waited to die.

_How did he just suddenly die like that?_ Gaara couldn't get the image out of his head as his hands over his ears muffled the sounds of cries of agony coming from all around him. He heard screams and squashing sounds alike for what seemed like ages but was probably only a few minutes.

_**Open your eyes, Gaara, I can't see. **_It was the same voice he had heard before all this had happened.

Slowly Gaara lifted his head and opened his eyes to the gray sky, not looking at the ground.

_**Much better, thank you.**_ The voice was deep, a sinister voice that didn't really sound too human.

He heard a few more squashing sounds before feeling a wetness splatter onto the right side of his face and arm.

Even slower, he turned his head to see a man, covered in blood with a sword in his hand, the sword only a foot away from Gaara's face. The man had blood dripping from his mouth as he just stood there, held upright by an invisible force.

Gaara had never seen something so gruesome. He caught a glimpse of red and wiped the sticky liquid off of his face. Then he looked down at his hand.

It was blood. His whole right arm was splattered heavily with _blood_.

_What have I done?_ Gaara's eyes pinched shut, but he couldn't wake up.

The worst part was that he felt _everything_.

He felt _every_ dead soul and all the sadness of everyone who ever loved them after they found out that they were dead.

He felt their _death_, their last wishes and hopes; he felt their destinies _ending_.

He felt the pain that all of the men lying dead around him had felt in the moment of their death.

Slowly Gaara stood up, and studied the scene before him in a circle. The sky was over cast and it started to rain. There was a mixture of sand and grass beneath him, like he was at the edge of a desert.

But he didn't look at the sprawling bodies strewn across the ground in a circle around him. He didn't look at the blood or the faces filled with horror. He couldn't. He had had too much.

_What's wrong with me?_

_**Ah, so you've now witnessed the Battle of Desert's Edge. And then you ask yourself what's wrong with you? What about what's wrong with **_**them.**_** Why were they trying to kill you?**_

_They were trying… to kill me…?_

_**WHAT ELSE DID IT LOOK LIKE THEY WERE TRYING TO DO? **_The voice boomed. This time it wasn't in Gaara's head, it was all around him, like he was in IT'S head instead.

_Who ARE you?_ Gaara shook his head slowly.

_**I am a part of **_**you, **_**Gaara of the Desert.**_

_Gaara of the Desert? What are you talking about?_

_**You are Gaara, are you not? **_The voice said impatiently.

_Yes, and I _was _born in Suna, but I live in Konoha now. _

_**The desert is a part of you, Gaara, and so am I, the one tailed beast of the sand, Shukaku.**_

**XXX**

Oooo, So Gaara has a beast inside of him! Lol like we didn't know that one. Well thanks for reading all the way too the end, and their will be another chapter coming soon. Hope you liked it, please reveiw, review, review, I love reviews!

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	3. New Things

**XXX**

The third Chapter's done! I've been writing for a while now, like hours on the 2nd and 3rd chapters. If you've read up til here then thank you so much! I hope you like the story so far. Well with out further waiting, here's the third chapter, enjoy! :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or and of the characters in Naruto.

**XXX  
**

**A Story for Myself **

**A Naruto fanfic**

**Chapter 3**

**New Things  
**

Meanwhile…

Sakura looked over at Gaara, who looked like he was in pain. No one else would be able to tell, but Sakura, knowing Gaara, could see the pain carved delicately behind his features. He hid it so well.

"The rest of today will be a study hall, since we only have 30 minutes left and the pottery supplies aren't here yet," Kurenai said emerging from the art closet with paper and pencils. " Feel free to do as you please, just not to loud and no destruction."

Gaara didn't flinch as people started to move around and talk all around them. Ino still hadn't come back from the nurse.

_Maybe there's a bug going around. _Sakura thought to herself. She was about to touch Gaara, to wake him from what ever he was thinking about. He often zoned out, so she knew he was probably just thinking really hard about something today.

_But why is he in pain? _Her hand was about two inches away from his arm when she suddenly pulled it back. _Oh! What was that? _Sakura rubbed her right hand with her left. It felt like sand had just been throw against it, really hard, and just a little bit, but it hurt.

_Maybe he's remembering something. That would be wonderful. _Sakura thought hopefully. She got the feeling that he was wrapped up in a memory, but there was nagging doubt that wouldn't go away in her mind that it was anything but wonderful.

_He lost all of his memories of when he was a kid. He doesn't even remember his own parents. _She sighed sadly. Sakura was one of the few to know the details of his memory loss.

_When he was 6 he lost all of his memories about people he knew and himself in general. Though he didn't lose the memories like how to walk and how to breathe. He still knew numbers and letters, and how to read, he was an _extremely_ bright child. But he didn't remember how he got to Konoha, any of his old friends, or the school he used to go to in Suna. He lived with his Aunt in Konoha when he woke up one morning, not remembering who he was. He didn't remember that his parents died or if he had had parents at all…_

Gaara shook his head back and forth, faster and faster, harder and harder.

_What is this? Where am I, how did I get here and how can I get out?_

**This **_**is a memory. You are remembering my past, the one they tried to erase from your mind when you were young. I am showing you this because it's almost time, Gaara. You can become feared, Gaara, you have the power to do anything you want to. Of course it's my power, but I can lend it too you when you need it. **_

_I still don't understand… is that why I lost my memories from when I was born to when I was six?_

_**Yes, while trying to contain me in you, they didn't want you to ever know that I was within you, so they erased the sealing process from your memories and blocked me from your mind while still containing me within your body and soul. **_

_Then do _you _have my memories? Along with yours? _

_**I do. And I will show them to you gradually, as you learn that I am you, and you are me. **_

Suddenly Gaara felt something push out from him, a power, an energy.

_**You have people that care about you, Gaara. Especially this pink haired friend of yours. Keep them close; you don't know who they are. But another warning, you also have enemies, and you don't know who they are yet, either. Keep an eye open for me.**_

_I must be dreaming. I must be officially thinking too hard. Maybe I'm going insane. Probably. That figures._

But in a sense Gaara knew he wasn't dreaming. It all felt too real. It had to be real. What if he really did start to get his memories back? That would be amazing. He had thought that he had lost his early childhood forever.

_What if I remember my parents?_

A flash of a family in their home around dinnertime came to mind.

_Yeah, a family memory just like that…_ Then he realized that the little boy sitting on the couch in their open home was him. He could smell the smells of dinner cooking and he heard a man say, "Once again you've impressed us all with just the smells of your cooking, isn't that right, Gaara?" The little Gaara, who looked about 4 years old, stumbled into the kitchen and climbed up on a chair with the help of the man who had spoken. The man had the same features as Gaara had, with the exception of a few, like his nose and eyes, which matched the woman who was cooking.

_Those… Are those my parents?_ Gaara asked as he watched the scene like a lost soul.

_**They are your parents, Gaara, but they were killed. **_Shukaku said from inside Gaara's head once again.

The little Gaara turned his head, looking for the sound of a voice, a voice that his parents seemed to not hear.

_Did he… did I just hear you? Is that why he- why I'm looking around? Can they see me as in me right now, older?_

_**He isn't hearing us talking right now, no, but you used to hear me a lot. Of course you were younger then, so they all thought of the voices only you heard were just your own " imaginary friend" or just your imagination. Or everyone who didn't know about me thought that. **_

_**No, they can't see you. This is just a memory, Gaara; it's your memory. They sealed it from you, because if you knew this memory then you would have known about me. Once I give you this memory to keep then you will be able to remember it as if you were that little child. But we don't have time for that now. Don't worry though, this memory will be yours soon enough. **_

Suddenly he blinked and he heard the noises of a classroom study hall around him. People were talking and walking around. He looked over at Sakura who was sitting beside him, frowning down at her fingers. She looked like she was in deep thought.

"Sakura," Gaara apologized as she looked up. " I'm sorry for zoning out on you like that,"

"Oh," She said surprised. " Oh, no, don't worry about it," her face softened.

"You looked like you… well, like you were remembering something…" Sakura started. She didn't exactly know how to tell him what she saw, him being in pain.

Gaara suddenly felt a wave of excitement, happiness, and relief flow through him stronger than he had ever felt before. The feeling was incredible.

Sakura's face brightened when she saw the look of that feeling in his eyes.

"Gaara!" She squealed, sincere happiness for her best friend bubbling up inside her.

He nodded while hardly able to keep the smile from hurting his face. He hadn't smiled this much in his life. Of course not that he could remember a certain portion of his life.

"I remembered something, about my _parents_." He said to her.

She was so glad that finally Gaara had remembered something that Sakura nearly jumped out of her chair and hugged him, full on.

He laughed, a laugh he hadn't ever heard himself laugh before and hugged Sakura back. He couldn't ever remember hugging someone either before. Today was a day for new things.

Of course he didn't forget all the people he had just witnessed dieing, there was no way he was ever going to forget that. But he wasn't about to let that memory over power the joy he had gotten from his second memory. The first memory he had was officially his, and even though the second one wasn't even fully his to keep yet, the second one was stronger.

_**We'll see which one's turn out stronger in the end… **_Shukaku's voice sounded in Gaara's head.

_I won't forget either of the memories. _Gaara told the voice.

"Gaara, I knew it!" Sakura exclaimed as she sat back down in her own chair. "And the first memory you get back was about your _parents,_ oh that's just awesome!"

Their classmates around them couldn't have known less about what just happened, and it was one of the biggest events in Gaara's life.

**XXX**

Aww, aren't you just so happy for Gaara? He got his first memory of his parents! But then, who is this "they" group of people that Shukaku keeps referencing too? What will happen when Gaara harbors more memories from Shukaku? Will he start to use his power? If so, for good or evil? Oh, and Who won that bet? ; ) Thanks for reading, everyone, and chapter 4 will be coming your way soon!

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	4. Lunch

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**

Hello, again, everyone! This chapter finally reveals all the bet announcements! The tension builds.... What will happen?! I hope you all like it, and enjoy reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto.

**XXX  
**

**A Story for Myself**

**A Naruto Fanfic**

**Chapter 4**

**Lunch**

Gaara slowly picked up his tray to buy his food when Sakura did the same right behind him. He had just gotten done with training and was pretty sore from last week. Shukaku hadn't spoken since Art earlier in the morning, and now it was finally 5th period, lunch!

"Did you here, Gaara?" Sakura asked him as they made their way through the lunch line getting school Spaghetti.

"Hear what?" He asked as he looked back at Sakura, smiling. She was so cheerful today; the girl's emotions always infected him, this time making him feel cheerful too.

"I won the bet, this morning, against Naruto!" She laughed.

Gaara smiled, remembering.

_Why dose that seem like so long ago? _He sighed.

"Which bet was that? I heard that there was a quadruple bet last Friday." He asked her.

"I bet Naruto that if you two would fight that you would win." Sakura said playfully smug.

"Oh?" He asked chuckling. "You know me too well,"

Sakura giggled too as they both walked to their group's table, table number 7.

When they all referred to 'their group' or 'the group' it always meant all their friends. The Group consisted of Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Neji, Sai, Choji, Hinata, Sakura, Ino, Karin, and Tenten. They were the main people, but a few others dropped in and out at times. The group was made up of all sophomores.

"Finally, everyone's here!" Choji said as he kept eating. Choji definitely wasn't the thinnest, but he was strong beyond belief and his optimistic personality kept him in the Group.

"Yes," Neji said as he stood up. The rest of the lunchroom students kept on talking, but table 7 was deadly quite. It was a sort of custom when Neji was announcing.

"'Will Naruto actually throw a book at Gaara and then tackle him right after 1st period?' Results:" Neji chuckled, as did the rest of the table. Gaara laughed along too, rubbing his head where Naruto had hit him with the book. "Yes. Winner: Choji! Payer: Karin! Amount: 5 dollars!"

Karin crossed her arms and pouted before laughing. She pulled out her wallet and paid Choji as they all started talking.

"Damn that test I missed on Thursday, or I would have been in lunch on Friday," Gaara chuckled to Sakura.

She laughed with him.

Then a thought hit Sakura.

_Did his memories start because he got hit in the head? Did Naruto trigger something bigger than just a bet?_

"Maybe it was meant to be, Gaara," She whispered.

"The book? That hit my head?" he asked her. Then he got the same thought.

_Oh. Oh, shit, maybe I just got a concussion and all the memories were fake. But… _

As if reading his mind Sakura realized this too.

_What if he really got a concussion?_

They looked at one another with worried expressions and Sakura was about to say something but was cut off by Neji, who coughed to get everyone's attention.

"The second bet, 'Will Naruto remember to do bet #1?' Results: Yes. Winner: Sai! Payer: Tenten! Amount: 3 dollars!" Neji smiled at Tenten then shook his head laughing again.

Tenten stuck out her tongue at Sai before smiling, rolling her eyes, and giving him the 3 dollars she had in her hand. The table broke into discussion once again.

"Gaara, I'm sure Naruto couldn't have hit you _that_ hard," Sakura said trying to convince him. He noticed that there wasn't a trace of her trying to convince herself, which meant that Sakura really believed that he remembered his parents.

_But I never told Sakura about Shukaku, either. _

_**Do you really think I'm not real?**_

_I… I don't know… _ Gaara thought, remembering the memories that he had received of the dieing men in the Battle at Deserts edge.

_What if the Battle at Deserts edge isn't real? What if I made it all up?_

_**You didn't. I can prove it. Look it up, in a book, anywhere. The Battle at Deserts edge was a battle during the 3**__**rd **__**Great War between all five main countries. It was fought in the Land of Grass, the land that borders Sunagakure and Konohagakure. It is shrouded in great mystery, but it happened. **_

_Fine. _Gaara thought doubtfully. What if he didn't find anything?

_What if I'm developing a split personality? What will I do?_

_**Nonsense, Gaara, listen to Sakura, she has a good idea as well.**_

_What? What are you-_

But before he could finish thinking to Shukaku, Sakura started to speak again, and he did listen to her.

"I have an idea," She announced to Gaara.

"The third bet, 'Will Gaara and Naruto start fighing?' Results: Yes. Winner: Sasuke! Payer: Me," Neji laughed again. "Amount: 7 dollars!"

Sasuke stood up triumphantly and gave a 'hmpf' sound that almost literally said: What else did you expect? He was always that way with bets. On the outside Sasuke could seem like a stuck-up jerk, but he really cared about people he liked. The Group were just about the only people who knew this side of Sasuke, too.

The table erupted into talking once again as Neji paid Sasuke.

"Have you ever seen pictures, like real photographs of your parents before?" Sakura asked Gaara.

Gaara thought for a minute before answering.

"No,"

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked after he hesitated.

"Yes, my Aunt offered to show me once, but I decided not to see them, I'm pretty sure, but we could always ask her, too. She remembers anything and everything since I lost my memory, just in case I ever forget anything again." Gaara admitted. He noticed that Sakura always had this sort of charm to get him to say more than he would have to others. He also felt more comfortable saying more to his best friend.

"Good," She said reassuring whatever idea she had brewing in her head. "Then we'll just get the pictures of your parents and you can look at them to confirm what you remembered." Sakura knew that if Gaara hadn't seen any pictures then he hadn't ever seen his parents before. They died when he was five, and he lost his memory when he was six.

_And the Battle of Deserts edge._ Gaara thought to himself. He would look that up too.

Sakura's idea already made him feel relieved.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Gaara looked at her and smiled. "How about you come over tonight? We hardly have any homework."

He watched her face brighten then soften when he accepted and included her in her idea.

"Unless of course you have something better to do," Gaara added smiling. He knew he had her.

"Oh no, of course not, Gaara! What could be better than solving a Memory Mystery and or Concussion Case with my best friend?" She rolled her eyes in a sarcastic gesture, then looked at him warmly.

Gaara liked the fact that even though this could be serious, Sakura knew that it could be, but didn't put to much tension on the subject. It made him feel better already, like maybe he actually was getting his memories back. And that would be a good thing.

_But should I tell her?_

_**About me?**_

_Yes, about you._

_**She would understand, Gaara, and she wouldn't tell a soul. Who would be better to tell? **_

_The only other person I could think to tell other than her would be equally Naruto…_

_**NO! Don't tell him. **_Shukaku almost commanded in Gaara's head. Regaining his calm he continued. _**Unless you want everyone else to know, too.**_

Gaara thought about this for a minute, but then realized that Shukaku hadn't almost sounded commanding, it had sounded slightly panicked or frightened, maybe even a little bit angry. Plus, Gaara knew Naruto well enough to know that he was actually an extremely good secret keeper, even if the secrets got crazy. He _was_ Gaara's other best friend.

_What's up with you, Shukaku?_ Gaara challenged the inner voice mentally. He got no response.

_Damn it, now I really am going crazy; look at myself, talking to a voice inside my head that isn't my voice. I'd say this is a Concussion Case._

He shook his head.

"Gaara?" Sakura asked him curiously. "Thinking about something again?"

"Yeah," He looked up unhappily.

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out, I'll help you," Sakura said trying to reassure him.

"Thanks, Sakura," Gaara said, and he meant it, too.

"The fourth and final bet, 'If Naruto and Gaara fight, who will win?' Results: Gaara! Winner: Sakura! And Payer: Naruto!" They table cheered as Sakura jumped up out of her seat and did a sort of dance with a smug smile on her face. Naruto shouted, with a competitive smile on his face, "You just watch out next time, Gaara, I'm gonna be stronger!"

Gaara laughed and said, "I believe it, Naruto, you nailed me pretty hard with that book."

"Amount: 15 dollars!" Neji announced, wrapping it up as Sakura collected her money from Naruto who laughed with her. "And that concludes the N.B.D. announcements and payoffs."

**XXX**

Is Gaara really going insane? Or was there really a Battle at Deserts edge? Thanks a bunch for reading, everyone! Don't miss Chapter 5, coming soon! Please review! Any thing to make it better, suggestions or anything, I might include it!:) Or just anything you want to say!

Oh, and thank you who have reviewed previous chapters, you're what kept me going to write this chapter!

Thanks,

Gracie :)

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**


	5. News

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Sorry for the slight delay, everyone! Luckily, with the new Naruto Shippuden I've been watching and the fact that I finally got caught up on the manga today has motivated me to write the rest of this chapter. It's the longest one yet. :) Oh, and my cat, Isis, also slowed me down a lot, seeing as though her new favorite place to be is on my desk :P But her visits were nice, lol.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto.

**XXX  
**

**A Story for Myself**

**A Naruto Fanfic**

**Chapter 5**

**News  
**

The rest of the day passed on, slowly but steadily. Shukaku had quieted for the moment and didn't speak to Gaara.

_I told Sakura to wait for me here… _Gaara thought, rounding the corner of the high school. Sure enough, there was his best friend, waiting for him.

Sakura pushed off the wall that she was leaning against and stepped into pace beside Gaara. Gaara smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Anything new?" Sakura asked him. They hadn't seen each other since 7th Pd. With training they had to have 9 class periods in a day.

There school, Northern Konoha High, slowly grew smaller as they walked away from it and down Red Avenue. It was a beautiful day outside, surprisingly, for a Monday. The sky was a bright blue, and the sun shone clearly.

"I knew you two would get together," Naruto yelled as he ran after them. Naruto lived in the same direction of town that Gaara did, so running into him was no coincidence. Gaara and Naruto even walked together for a while some days, that is, when Naruto didn't have detention.

Gaara just kept walking while Sakura giggled. Gaara noticed the slightest tint of a blush on her pale face. It matched her pink hair.

"We're not _together_, Naruto," Sakura rolled her eyes, smiling at Naruto.

"Oh? Like you're not dating?" Naruto sighed at his wrong observation.

"Nope, I'm just hanging out with Gaara," Sakura said smiling at Gaara.

Gaara nodded to Naruto.

"Oh, Gaara, sorry bout that book, this morning, and tackling you, and almost getting you a detention," Naruto laughed devilishly with a huge grin on his face and his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Nah, it's cool," Gaara replied, shaking his head.

"Good," Naruto said as he glanced over his shoulder.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing, just thought I heard something- WHOA!" Naruto jumped away from Gaara and Sakura.

Gaara looked to his other side, where Naruto's shocked eyes were looking. Gaara's eyes widened a fraction of an inch, slightly startled, but he was mostly used to it.

"Hello, Karin," Sakura waved to her, smiling.

Walking beside Gaara was Karin, silent as a mouse. If Naruto hadn't heard her then seen her, Gaara wouldn't have ever known she was there. Of course, Karin was good at this, she picked it up from training and she excelled in stalking people.

"Hello, Sakura," Karin replied pleasantly. "Hello Gaara, Naruto,"

"Hello, Karin," Gaara said.

"Karin! You need to stop scaring me like that!" Naruto sighed, trying to regain himself.

Karin smiled evilly, some disastrous thought obviously crossing her mind. "You should be used to it, by now Naruto," She said smugly, "like Sakura and Gaara are."

"Yeah, well I'll never get used to it," Naruto said rubbing the back of his neck. Karin was indeed, quite evil at times, not to mention going out with Sakura's ex-boyfriend, but she had good intentions and was really very nice once you got on her good side, and not her bad or obsessive side.

"Maybe that's just because I don't stalk you as much as I do the others…" Karin said matter-of-factly.

"Well, maybe that's because you're too busy stalking Sasuke, your own boyfriend!" Naruto spat back at her, like not being stalked was a bad thing.

Karin exploded. "I DO NOT STALK MY BOYFRIEND!" She shoved her glasses up onto her nose. "I just used to gather information on him, and it's not like I do that now, since he's my boyfriend, there's no need to do that if he's my boyfriend, and he is!" She crossed her arms.

Naruto just raised one of his eyebrows and kept walking.

Gaara was uncontrollably smiling, almost chuckling and Sakura was trying her hardest to keep in her laughing.

"What, are you two together now or something?" Karin said crossly.

"No," Gaara and Sakura said at the same time.

Karin titled all the way out and looked them both over.

"Actually that would be… Hot," Karin said raising her eyebrows. "Don't you think, Naruto?"

Naruto looked them both over too, making Sakura go deep red, having Karin's and Naruto's eyes on her and her best friend, comparing them as a couple.

"Hmm…" Naruto rubbed his hand on his chin. "Quite nice,"

Gaara blushed a solid red as well.

"Aww, look there both blushing, now," Karin said adjusting her glasses again while looking away. "Naruto, stop looking at them!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Gaara, and Sakura," Naruto said pouting. "I was just remembering of Hinata…"

Hinata Huyga, Naruto's girlfriend, Neji's cousin and Sakura's other best friend was sick. She had been sick since last Friday.

"She said she was feeling better, though and was coming back to school on Tuesday," Naruto said happier.

Naruto and Hinata hadn't been going out long, but they were indeed a cute couple.

"Oh, well that's good, because I have some news," Karin said turning back to the other three. Gaara's and Sakura's blush had faded by the time she started talking. "This Saturday we're going to have a movie night at my house, and it's for couples only." She smirked and looked at Sakura and Gaara again. "Think about it, you guys!"

"Alright," Gaara said.

"Kay," Sakura replied.

"I'll invite Hinata," Naruto said.

"That'll be good," Karin said as they came up to an intersection. "See you guys later!"

Karin turned onto another street and Gaara, Sakura and Naruto all started talking at once.

"Stalker," Naruto declared.

"Sounds fun… but she scares me a bit," Sakura said with a giggle.

"Hm, she _is_ a bit strange," Gaara said.

They all laughed.

"This is my stop," Naruto said soon after they stopped laughing. He lived in a nice apartment building.

"See you later, Naruto," Sakura said.

"Bye, Naruto," Gaara smiled.

"Thanks, guys, later," Naruto said as he closed the door.

The afternoon was still just beginning, it was only 3 o'clock.

"Well that was quite an interruption," Sakura laughed lightly.

"It was," Gaara agreed.

"Anyway…" Sakura continued. There was a brief moment of awkwardness, something that rarely happened between Gaara and Sakura. "Like I was saying before, anything new?"

"Nope, nothing actually," Gaara said thinking.

"Hmm…" Sakura said as they both thought for a moment. Then they were at Gaara's house. It was nice, quaint in a way. Sakura had been there many times before.

It wasn't squished in beside other houses. Actually it had a very nice lot it sat on, not too big but not small, either. It wasn't in the center of town, but it wasn't on the very outskirts either. The house was a chocolate brown color and had a small wrap-around porch. The roof was black, and the house had two stories.

Both Gaara and Sakura walked through the front door. The first floor had a small living room area, then a hallway leading to a kitchen, a laundry room, and Gaara's Aunt's bedroom.

"Gaara, you're home," his Aunt Lana looked up from the book she was reading in the living room with a smile. She noticed Sakura. "Ah, hello, Sakura!"

"Hello, Lana," Sakura waved politely.

"Hello," Gaara said to her.

That was probably the best part about Gaara's aunt. She didn't really mind much. Though she was strict at times, she was a really good aunt to Gaara. Lana had long dark brown hair and bangs straight across her forehead. She was Gaara's mother's younger sister, and only 27 years old.

Gaara and Sakura made their way up the black metal spiral staircase to the little second floor. The second floor had a small open room then a small hallway perpendicular to it leading to Gaara's room and the second story bathroom, which was directly across from Gaara's bedroom.

Both Sakura and Gaara dumped their school bags on Gaara's bed.

"Shall we get straight to it, then, and ask your aunt for some pictures?" Sakura suggested.

"You read my mind," Gaara smiled as they both headed downstairs. While spiraling down Sakura asked, "Should we tell her that we think you started to get your memories back?"

_**No.**_ Shukaku spoke for Gaara, only Sakura couldn't hear him.

"I don't see why not, she's going to ask why we want to see the pictures anyway," Gaara told her.

"Oh, you two, if you want anything to eat I just bought some groceries this morning," Lana commented when she heard them coming down the stairs.

"Actually, Lana, I was wondering if I could see the old pictures, where did you keep them?"

"Oh?" Lana asked, suspicion in her voice. "What brought this on all of a sudden, if I may ask?"

_**Don't tell her Gaara, this doesn't feel right. **_Gaara noticed just then that he did feel rather nervous as soon as he brought up the subject of this with Lana.

_Shukaku may not even be real; I can't let it stop me._ Gaara thought. He heard an audible sigh.

"Well, I think I might have…" Gaara tried to say the rest, but he couldn't. He physically couldn't form the words. His mouth wouldn't even open.

_**I told you, DON'T TELL HER. **_

Gaara struggled to open his mouth, while trying not to panic.

_Are you controlling me?_

Sakura glanced over at Gaara.

"He thought he might have remembered something, from before he was six," Sakura said, getting the gist to not tell Lana too much.

_**Well, that'll do, I guess.**_ Shukaku grumbled, clearly not happy that they told Lana.

"Oh! Well that's wonderful!" Lana said, closing her book and walking into the laundry room.

She brought back with her three big photo albums. "I always kept them in the closet, in the laundry room, so they wouldn't get sun faded."

"Thanks," Gaara said to her as she gave them to him. "Sakura and I will look at them in my room,"

"We should look at them together sometime, too, Gaara, I have some pretty good stories of your mother," Lana looked sincerely happy.

_Why does Shukaku not want me to tell her about my memories?_

"We will, sometime," Gaara told her with a smile.

"You should tell me about your memories later, too," Lana said while going back to her book.

"Thanks, Lana," Sakura said as they both headed up the stairs.

She heard a "No problem," as Lana began to read again.

_Why was Gaara so hesitant? _She thought. _I think there's something he's not telling me…_

"I have an idea," Gaara said as Sakura closed his bedroom door. "How about you look up a picture of my parents, then have me describe them to you, just so we know my mind isn't playing tricks on me,"

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Sakura said distractedly.

"Here, start with the blue one," Gaara handed a medium sized blue photo album to Sakura as they sat on his bed, facing each other. "The other two have photos past the time I was six."

"Gaara," Sakura said fingering the cover of the blue book. "Why were you so hesitant to tell Lana about your parents?"

_I'm going to tell her about you, Shukaku. _

There was no response.

Gaara smiled.

"What?" Sakura asked, serious but curious at the same time.

"You can read me like an open book. Oh, and your going to think I'm crazy." He replied.

"I would never think such a thing!" Sakura said.

"Well, here goes nothing," Gaara mumbled then sighed, looking straight into Sakura's green eyes. "There's this voice in my head, that's shown me the memories,"

Sakura thought for a second.

"It call's itself Shukaku, and says it's a beast that's sealed inside of me," Gaara continued. "It showed me another memory, as well, to prove its existence,"

Sakura was silent for a moment, calculating.

"If someone sealed a beast inside you, they would have erased all your memories so you wouldn't ever have known about it." Sakura concluded.

Gaara looked at her again, to make sure she wasn't joking or being sarcastic. Her look was serious.

"You… believe me?" Gaara asked hopefully.

"I do," Sakura said getting up and logging onto Gaara's Mac computer. "It's happened before, you know, it's said that few people in the five great countries have major power, and that's just what they say today." Sakura looked back at him. "In the past, legends have told of people who used to have great beasts sealed within themselves, and of course there were stories that went along with different people with different beasts sealed inside them in different countries. Of course people today always think of it as just that, a myth, but many people, not long ago, considered it as real as the great wars."

Gaara closed his eyes and leaned against the bed. "That's one person who doesn't think I'm crazy," he sighed with relief.

"Two, if you count yourself," Sakura laughed.

"I had my doubts," Gaara said opening his eyes and looking into hers. He laughed too.

She believed him, she really believed him.

**XXX**

Some one, at least, believes Gaara! Will Gaara and Sakura find out if Shukaku is real or not? Did Gaara really remember his parents? Or is all of this just a serious concussion?! That would really suck, now wouldn't it? ; )

Thanks for reading, everyone! Review, review! :) And thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far. Chapter six will be coming soon! :)

**XXX  
**


	6. Gaara, saved

**XXX**

Well, Chapter six is finally here! I hope you all enjoy, and review, review!:)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto.

**XXX  
**

**A Story for Myself**

**A Naruto fanfic**

**Chapter 6**

**Gaara, saved**

"Look," Sakura said. Gaara walked to the computer and sat on a stool next to her.

The title of the web page was "The World's Legends".

"This one reads:" Sakura began, "'There were once nine powerful beasts, with numbering tails. These beasts were sealed long ago in human hosts, and harbored in the five great nations as serious power forces.'"

"But, see, if we go here," Sakura pulled up a web page that said: "The World Today" and showed it to Gaara.

"Yeah, I've been to this one, before, remember, we used it in Social Studies for a whole unit," Gaara said referring to the "World Today" page.

"Yeah, that's where I found out about it," Sakura said as she clicked then scrolled down a page. "And here's the statement that always kept me wondering. It says: "The five great nations harbor power forces and serious strength through each country"."

"That sounds extremely similar to the legend on that other page," Gaara said almost to himself.

"I think that means that something's up. Which means something in these statements is completely possible. You're not crazy, Gaara," Sakura half smiled at him. "What memory did Shukaku give you to prove that he's real?"

"Well it was a war…" Gaara said remembering, then shuddering.

"Are you okay?" Sakura said alarmed.

"Yeah, I'm fine… I just, well it wasn't the best memory, you know," He said putting a hand on his head.

_And _that's_ why he looked like he was in pain this morning in art. _Sakura thought. It was all fitting together now.

"Look, on the legends page…" Sakura trailed off, reading.

"What?" Gaara said.

"What did you call the voice in your head?" Sakura asked warily. She didn't look up from the screen.

"He called himself 'Shukaku'," Gaara replied.

Sakura pointed to the screen. "This," she said.

Gaara read the page.

_**Shukaku**__- The one tailed beast spirit of the sand. Said to have been confined to the land of Suna, sealed in hosts that come from that country, the Desert country. _

He read it five more times before he leaned away from the screen.

"Sakura," he said.

"Yeah," She responded.

"Shukaku had told me that he was a part of me, Gaara of the _Desert,_"

"This isn't a coincidence, Gaara, something's up." Sakura said as she looked at him with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Look up 'The Battle at Deserts edge.'" Gaara told her. He turned away from the computer. "And ask me facts about it."

"O-okay," Sakura typed.

_Shukaku, whatever she asks me, you have to tell me the answer. They're facts, so you should know all that, right?_

Gaara herd a deep, sinister sounding laugh through out his head. It kept getting louder.

Finally it was too loud. Gaara covered his ears, like that was going to help.

He was plunged into another memory.

This one was briefly in fast forward though, as all the information flowed into his head.

He saw a young child sitting alone, curled into a ball in the middle of a street. He heard a gunshot and the child's shirt started to get soaked with blood.

He felt a stabbing sensation through his chest and blinked to see that the child was gone and instead there was a sword through his chest.

A man in front of him held the sword. He spoke, smiling evilly.

"You will die, beast host," but then spears of sand pierced the man holding the sword, and Gaara watched him fall to the ground, eyes wide open. Gaara wasn't controlling him self this time.

He pulled the sword out of his chest slowly and painfully, and threw it on the ground. It landed with a clashing sound, and he blinked again.

People all around him were screaming, running and panicking. There was a huge sand storm going on around him, the sound of swishing sound of the sand was blending into cries and moans. It was Suna. Gaara looked down at his chest, just in time to see the wound healing, closing itself and the blood around it drying up with a sizzling sound.

_What is this? _Gaara held shaking hands before his eyes. _What am I?_

_**You are the one-tailed beast host of me, Shukaku! **_A deep, evil laugh sounded again, but this time out side of his head.

A dark energy shone in the sand storm and more screams arose around Gaara. He saw I black eye with a yellow iris in it. Then he saw a pair of eyes like that, and the pupil was a black stretched diamond. The eyes looked directly at him.

* * *

"Gaara?" Sakura saw that he had his hands over his ears.

"Gaara!" she said more alarmed, but she was careful not to be too loud, or else Lana would here them.

Gaara didn't respond, but instead he slumped over and clenched his hands on his head harder.

Sakura hurried in front of him. She could tell he was having a memory; he looked just like he did in art this morning, but seriously injured this time instead of just in pain.

Whatever kind of memory he was remembering she couldn't let him be in pain like this.

* * *

The images of Shukaku's eyes and the images of disasters and sand storms raged across his mind along with the images of people dieing and people trying to kill him.

* * *

Sakura tried to shake him once, and then tried to say his name to get him out of the memory. It seemed nothing was going to work.

She placed a gentle hand on his forehead and closed her eyes.

_Gaara, come back. Come back to me, here…_

_

* * *

_

Then Gaara was in the middle of a desert. The ground was cracked and dry. He looked up. No one was there, nothing even, at all, and this nothingness went on for miles. All he had was the ground and sky of a desert. He sat back down, putting his face in his hands.

_What's wrong with me?_

He felt a hand, flesh and fingers, touch his forehead. It stayed there.

_No more memories, Shukaku, you're… you're a demon, I… I don't want to remember any more memories from… your past._

_**Oh, but this isn't me. **_Shukaku actually sounded confused. Gaara opened his fingers up to look at the person's whose hand still rested on his forehead. He was getting calmer.

"Sakura?" Gaara spoke out loud in the barren landscape.

"Gaara, are you alright?" She asked, taking her hand off his forehead. She kept it extended, though, and Gaara hesitantly grabbed it.

She pulled him up.

"I, how did you get here?" He asked once he was standing.

Sakura glanced around at the desolate space around them. "You're not the only one who's special," Sakura gave him a sincere smile.

"Come with me," Sakura said as she pulled them both into a walk.

_What's going on? _Gaara thought.

_**This girl is one of a kind. **_Shukaku laughed all around them. Sakura looked around for the voice.

"Shukaku?" She asked Gaara.

"Shukaku," He told her.

He blinked and suddenly he was back in his room, with Sakura's hand on his forehead.

She blinked too, and looked into his eyes. Finally she exhaled and dropped her hand. Leaning back she sighed.

"Sakura…" Gaara said quietly. "I'm sorry,"

"What?" She blinked in surprise.

"I'm sorry I, well I don't even know what I just did."

"Me neither," she responded. "But it wasn't you're fault Gaara! I heard Shukaku, and that wasn't just you and it wasn't a trick."

"How did you…?" Gaara asked puzzled.

"I… I don't really know either, but I've always had this kind of… quality, to be able to know people, you know, like read them," She responded. "Except for on you, until now. Until now Naruto and you are the only people whose thought patterns and expressions I can't really decipher."

_**Naruto… Is that his name now?**_

Sakura walked back over to the computer and looked at Gaara.

"Do you still want to try this?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," Gaara told her. He turned around away from the computer.

"I don't even know if the "Battle at Deserts edge" is real or not, though," Gaara said. He rubbed his temples, since his head started throbbing.

"Oh it's real alright," Sakura told him. "What war was it in?"

"The 2nd Great War between all five great nations," Gaara responded.

"How many people died?" Sakura quizzed him.

_**Three-hundred and forty-six. **_Shukaku sounded like he was on Jeopardy or something. The thought of that almost made Gaara laugh. Almost.

"Three-hundred and forty-six people died," Gaara relayed.

"Where did it take place, exactly?"

_**Youl pass.**_

_**"**_Youl pass." Gaara said.

"That's it Gaara, look, it was real, and you know all about it," Sakura said as he turned around. There was an informational page on "The Battle at Deserts edge" pulled up on the computer.

"Shukaku knows all about it," Gaara corrected as he read the facts that he had just said but never known about until Shukaku.

"Right." Sakura said.

"This… this is all really, really… weird? Crazy? Creepy?" Gaara shut his eyes. "I don't even know what to call it."

"True," Sakura said. "But maybe it's just our story, or yours, with Shukaku. Your life…" she trailed off.

**XXX**

Just Gaara's story, huh? Well what about Sakura? Does she have a story as well? How deep does her's go? Will Gaara be able to withstand Shukaku in his head?

Thanks everyone for reading, and I love reviews, very, very much :) The inspire me to write more and faster.

**XXX  
**


	7. Sheena

**XXX**

I've gotten a lot of viewers, and I hope you're marking this or subscibing, because it's just beginning to get good! ; ) Thanks everyone who reviews, and I hope you all enjoy Chapter 7! : )

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of the Characters in Naruto.

**XXX  
**

**A Story for Myself**

**A Naruto Fanfic**

**Chapter 7**

**Sheena**

"Sakura," Gaara said. "Thank you, so much, for everything,"

Sakura smiled before pouncing on Gaara, who was sitting on his bed.

"Gaara, I'm really glad I could help." Sakura said as she hugged him. He hugged her back.

Gaara noticed that she had sort of knocked him over, onto the bed, and that she was on top of him.

As soon as Sakura noticed this she blushed, and stammered a "S-sorry," to Gaara before starting to get off him.

He rolled his eyes and smiled, then pulled her back down on the bed with him.

"It's fine, Sakura," he said with a smile.

"Gaara," She said, calmer and not as nervous. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything," Gaara responded as they both lay on his bed.

"About what Karin said earlier," she laughed. "What do you think?"

Gaara looked over at her, playing dumb. "About what part?" He laughed too.

"About… us," she responded smirking.

"Well, the part about us making a great couple?" Gaara asked, still playing with her.

Sakura smacked him on the arm, playfully. "Of course!"

"Ouch!" He laughed. Then he looked into Sakura's eyes. "I, personally think, it would be very true," he said, quieter. "What do you think?"

Sakura looked in his pale blue eyes. She noticed the dark circles around them. He had always had those, they were apart of him. She didn't think they made him ugly, not at all… If anything then Sakura felt attracted by his entire face.

"Very, no, extremely true," Sakura said.

Gaara smiled, trying to make it seem casual to why he was moving slowly. Even though his body hurt, and his limbs ached, he didn't want Sakura to worry about him anymore. He really cared about her. He really _loved_ her.

They both sat up on his bed.

"Well then, Sakura," Gaara took her hand in his, looking down at their fingers as they intertwined. "Will you be my girlfriend?" He looked up into her bright green eyes.

"Of course," She answered, smiling, before she leaned in and kissed him.

Gaara kissed back with passion as he felt her other hand rest on the back of his neck.

Sakura felt Gaara's hand press against her side, and she answered him by moving closer to him. They both pulled away at the same time. Their intertwined hands loosened, and Sakura wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck as he wrapped his around her waist. As they dove into another kiss Gaara pulled Sakura closer to him, and then there was no space between their bodies.

Suddenly Gaara and Sakura were connected. He could feel their souls, joining with one another.

Sakura felt her inner-self merging with Gaara's spirit.

They pulled apart again. Smiling, each started talking at the same time.

"You first," Gaara told her.

They still held each other.

"Did you… feel that?" Sakura asked. "It was like I could feel something more than just the present, I felt my life, with yours,"

"Yeah," Gaara said. "I guess it's an added affect."

They both laughed.

"Sakura, Gaara." Lana yelled from what Gaara supposed the middle of the staircase.

Their laughing turned into concerned looks as both parted.

"If she asks, what were we doing?" Gaara said. He was fresh out of new ideas.

"Well, we'll tell her sometime, right?" Sakura asked as they sat opposite from each other on the bed.

"Of course, but maybe just a little later. This scene would look suspicious to you, if you were an Aunt too, right?"

The door clicked.

"True," Sakura said, giving him a look that said 'play along'.

"Oh, hey, you guys, I was just wondering what time Sakura planned on leaving, not to rush or anything, but for dinner," She explained.

Lana had let Gaara and Sakura alone for years after she saw that they were just friends, and that Sakura was Gaara's best friend.

"Well, we don't have really any homework, so whenever is fine with me," Sakura said happily. "My parents are out on a business trip, so they wont be back until tomorrow evening."

"Oh really?" Lana asked. "Well then how about you just spend the night?"

This was also another perk with Lana. She was pretty cool about everything. Sakura's parents knew she got lonely at home sometimes too, being an only child, and they were really good friends with Lana. This wouldn't be the first time that Sakura had stayed over.

To Sakura this was like her second home. Her parents didn't mind, and both her and Gaara were well trusted between both families.

"That'd be great, thanks a bunch, Lana," Sakura smiled.

"Good, I'll call your parents, then?" She asked.

"Yeah, thanks again," Sakura said.

"No problem," Lana said as she started to walk out the room.

Gaara was moving. He had gotten up and was at the computer right as Lana began to speak.

"Ah, what is this, Gaara?" Lana said, looking at the screen.

"Oh, I'll just close all this up," he said. "Sakura and I are doing a report on the Five Great Nations in Social Studies."

"Oh, well that's good," she gave up as all the screens disappeared.

"Yeah, last report of the year," Gaara sighed, then smiled at Lana. He was acting completely natural.

"Oh, aren't you so glad summer's almost here?" Lana welled with happiness.

"Definitely." Sakura said, still sitting on the bed.

"Yeah," Gaara responded as he opened up another window on the computer, to look like he was doing something else.

"I'll call you two down when dinner's ready, okay?" Lana told them.

"Okay,"

"Thanks,"

She shut the door.

Gaara sat back down on the bed. Sakura sat right in front of him, in between his legs. Gaara wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her against him. She leaned back on his chest.

Gaara placed a soft kiss on her pink hair. She smiled, and cuddled into him.

"Would you like to watch a movie?" He asked her.

"Sure," She replied happily.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Lana had just got finished chatting with Mrs. Haruno, Sakura's mother. She walked over to the sink to start their dinner.

Then she froze. There was a cold, metal feeling on her neck.

"Lana," the lady greeted as she withdrew the kunai from Lana's neck.

Lana let out the air that had been trapped in her lungs and clutched the counter for support.

"Congrats, you just about gave me a heart attack, this time," Lana said bitterly, wiping the small scratch on her neck. It was bleeding. "And you made me bleed."

"Get over it, Lanes," the lady said. She was sitting at the small table in the kitchen. She had blond hair, and violet eyes. She was wearing bright blue jeans shorts and I deep black, thin jacket. She had on gloves that revealed different fingertips on both arms.

"Don't call me that, Sheena," Lana said as she pressed a towel against her neck. "Now what do you want?"

"Report please," Sheena waited.

Lana made a mistake by being hesitant.

"Nothing new, no activity."

Sheena smirked. "So he's started to regain memories of Shukaku?"

"Did I _say_ that?" Lana asked.

"Your voice didn't, but your face just did." Sheena responded. She got up from the table.

"No, wait!" Lana said, grabbing Sheena's arm to keep her from walking out the door. "He only said that he thinks he started to remember his _own_ past, from before he was six."

"That's still too much," Sheena sneered at her.

"Why do you have to do this?" Lana asked.

"To protect Konoha, Suna, the five Great Nations, and whatnot and so on, I've told you before, Lana, that he will have to be given a new host if he starts to intrude in Gaara's thoughts,"

"But Gaara would _die_ then, Sheena, do you not understand that you'll be taking his life?" Lana asked her. Tears started to well in her eyes.

"What does it matter to me?" Sheena snarled. " To me, and to everyone else he's just a host, a holding tank, for something that would other wise kill us all,"

"You're so sick," Lana said, tears dripping on the kitchen floor. "He's a person just like you, just like me. He has friends, and he's making himself a _story of his own_, he has a life! You can't just throw it away!"

"Watch me," Sheena said and tore out of Lana's grasp.

"Sheena!" Lana made sure to not yell to loud, or else Gaara and Sakura would hear her.

"What?"

"You're going to be in for some trouble, I'm warning you,"

"Why shouldn't I just kill you now and take him with me?" Sheen grabbed Lana by the neck. Lana grabbed her arm and tried to get Sheena off her.

"Because he's befriended the nine-tails of Konoha, _and_ the spirit child of Madara. He-" Lana struggled for air. "even knows the physical line of Madara."

"What?!" Sheena said, letting go of Lana.

Lana stumbled and caught herself on the table.

Then Sheena was gone.

Lana coughed. "I _hate_ that woman," she mumbled to herself. "And, I'm sorry, Gaara," She whispered as she made her way to the bathroom to clean up the scratch on her neck.

**XXX**

Please tell me what you think, everyone! The review button is right down here somewhere, and you don't have to be a member to review! : )

I don't really know how I did with the GaaraXSakura part, but I hope you all liked it. :)

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	8. Confession and More Memories

**XXX**

Hello, everyone, again. :) The story's just beginning, as Suna plans to intervene with Gaara and Shukaku.

Thank you everyone for the lovely reviews, and good ideas. I shall explain more in the next chapter, about Naruto, Sakura, and whatnot. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the latest update!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto.

**XXX  
**

**A Story for Myself**

**A Naruto Fanfic**

**Chapter 8**

**Confession and More Memories**

"Sir, Shukaku has been awakened within the host, Gaara of the Desert." Sheen kneeled before a Sunagakure elder. These new elders were nothing like the old elders. They ruled harshly, precisely, and mercilessly. There were two of them, their real names unknown to even Sheena. They were just simply referred to as the 'elders' most of the time. The male elder was called Minoru and the female was called Naomi.

"Ah, so now is the time, we must scout out a new host immediately." Lady Elder Naomi said.

"Yes, and that will take about two weeks," Elder Minoru replied.

"My Elders, if I may, I have more news as well," Sheena said.

"Go on, then, child," The Lady Elder spoke.

"Lana, Gaara's guardian, has said that he has befriended the Nine-Tails of Konoha, as well as the Spirit Child of Madara. She says that he also has connections to the physical line of Madara." Sheena said, still bowing in their presence.

"So he may be a challenge to get," The Naomi concluded.

"Indeed," Minoru agreed.

* * *

Back in Konoha…

"Gaara! Sakura!" They heard Lana yell from the kitchen. "Dinner!"

"Aww, and it was just getting to the good part," Sakura complained. Then her stomach growled audibly. She giggled.

"I would guess that's okay with your stomach," Gaara laughed as he paused the movie that was playing on his Mac computer.

Sakura got up and turned on the lights in his room. "I guess so," She replied while smiling at Gaara.

"We can watch more after dinner," Gaara responded as they made there way down stairs.

When they both reached the kitchen Lana was pouring milk for them all. The dinner was a salad with chicken in it, one that Lana liked to make a lot. Not that Gaara minded, it was good.

Lana laughed. "Do you two realize how good a couple you would turn out to be?"

Sakura blushed a deep red and Gaara could hardly keep from smiling.

"Oops, sorry," Lana laughed again.

"Well actually," Gaara began. "We decided we would be too,"

Lana glanced at Gaara to see if he was joking or not. Then she looked at Sakura.

"Ah, I see," she said still smiling. "That's good."

"Really?" Sakura asked as they all sat down at the small table in the kitchen. It only sat four. "You don't mind?"

"No, of course not!" She smiled reassuringly at them both. "It was bound to happen anyway. Of course," Lana continued in a serious tone as she got a forkful of salad. "There will be no-"

"Sex, of course, Lana," Sakura and Gaara rolled their eyes at the same time that they said that simultaneously. Then they all laughed.

"Okay, well I do trust both of you, since, well, you've known each other for nine or ten years already," Lana replied.

"Thanks," Gaara said as he began eating.

"Yeah, thank you," Sakura sighed, relived.

For the rest of the dinner they talked about school and everything else that had been going on.

_**Someone's been here.**_

_Yeah, I know, look at Lana's neck._

Gaara had noticed the band-aid on her neck as soon as he'd walked into the kitchen.

_**Looks like someone's been threatening her. **_

_What? Who would do that? And why?_

_**I'm sure Suna is keeping an eye on you, Gaara. **_

When Gaara got the chance he finally asked her.

"Lana, what happened to your neck?" Gaara said pointing to her band-aid.

"Oh, this?" She said feeling it. "I just slipped when I was chopping the chicken,"

"Whoa, you might want to be a bit more careful with a knife, then," Sakura said, truly concerned.

"Oh, I know, I can't believe it, I guess I was just leaning in too close and not focusing." She tried to wave the conversation away.

_She looked to the left as soon as she said that, _and_ she made a gesture with her hands, which she almost never does. She's lying; it's almost too obvious. _

_**Wow, you really pick up on things.**_

"Yeah, just make sure to be more careful," Gaara told her before starting to eat again.

_What the hell is going on _now_?

* * *

_

On Tuesday morning Gaara woke up in a cold sweat. He jolted upright in bed for the fifth time that night. It was only five a.m., and he usually got up at six. Still, he got up and stumbled into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

_**Those memories were all about the sealing process. **_

Gaara got flash backs of a dark room, scrolls and adults all around him. He had heard the voices talking.

"He's the only one at the time with enough Chakra to hold Shukaku,"

"Are you sure we can't just leave his memories though?"

"Some how Shukaku wasn't fully sealed when he was a newborn, so until now he's been hearing him constantly. We can't let that go on."

Those were all his memories now, so he had relived them all night long.

When he was a newborn they sealed the one-tailed beast of the sand in him. When he was six they found out that the demon hadn't been fully sealed and Gaara knew that he was there, so they erased all of his memories from when he was born until when he was six.

* * *

"Aunt Lana?" A six-year-old Gaara looked up at a younger version of Lana. "Why do I have to go to the doctor?"

"They have to treat you for something," She told him with a sad look in her eyes.

"But I feel fine," He said.

"Ah, but that's the thing, it's a tricky sicky," Lana said using their nickname for a disease. "You don't even know it's there,"

"Oh," Gaara looked ahead doubtfully.

So after that he was unconscious for a week. In that time Lana learned the truth, that Gaara hadn't just lost his memories of Shukaku, he had lost _all _of his memories of people and himself in general. And in that time she made a new life in Konoha, away from the country she now despised, Suna.

* * *

Gaara only knew what happened when he was unconscious because Shukaku was _never_ unconscious, and he heard everything, even though he didn't see anything because the whole time Gaara's eyes were closed.

The Gaara now, the 16-year-old Gaara, played these memories over and over again in his head as he took a long, hot shower.

_**Our past is riddled with distrust, lies and fear. Your Aunt really isn't the bad person here, either, though she knows about me. **_

Gaara shook his head, splattering water everywhere.

_Yeah, I know she's not bad, she was deceived, and now someone is threatening her. Just great. Hasn't she been through enough?_

_**Makes you want to get revenge, doesn't it? **_Shukaku bribed him.

_Yes, all those memories leave me with that feeling… _Gaara trailed off.

_**Tell me who you want to kill.**_

"No!" Gaara clenched his jaw in frustration. He even spoke out loud.

_**You know I, we, can do it, Gaara.**_

_SHUT UP, SHUKAKU!_

He physically banged his head against a wall. Though, even with all the self-abuse and self-determination, Gaara couldn't stop the welling feeling of power and temptation to use it.

Finally Shukaku didn't speak and the feeling went away. Gaara rubbed his throbbing head.

Getting dressed, he put on a red t-shirt and a black vest. Then he wore a pair of dark-colored jeans, as well.

_It's not supposed to be that hot today anyway._ Gaara thought as he looked in his bathroom mirror at his lanky figure and his cherry-red hair. Some people called him emo, or whatnot, but he was in the Group, and the Group didn't have stereotypes. He didn't care anyway; the title might even fit him, with the dark rings around his eyes and such.

It was only five-thirty when he went downstairs to get breakfast, but Lana and Sakura were already there.

"Gaara!" Lana said surprised. She was dressed and ready to go into work. She worked as an editor.

"Good morning, Gaara," Sakura said from her place at the kitchen table. She was already ready to go to school, her pink hair was straightened and she was wearing dark blue mini jeans and a red tank top with a black tank top underneath. She looked at Gaara as he entered the kitchen.

"We match today," she said smiling.

Gaara's mood lightened at the sight of her. "Yeah, we do," he smiled back.

"Well, I'll see you two lovebirds later," Lana said as she waved and headed toward the door.

"Bye, Lana," Gaara said as he poured himself a bowl of cheerios. She always had to go to work early.

"Thanks for letting me stay over," Sakura said.

"No problem," Lana said then walked out the door.

"Did you already have breakfast?" Gaara asked her noting the extra bowl in the sink.

"Yeah," Sakura said as Gaara sat down at the table with her. "You're up early today," she observed.

"I couldn't sleep," Gaara replied while getting the milk. "Shukaku kept showing me memories all night,"

"Ah," Sakura nodded. "Good or bad?"

Gaara thought for a moment. "I don't really know. They were about when they erased all of my memories,"

The rest of the morning went on with Gaara explaining his bizarre memories to his best friend, Sakura.

**XXX**

:) Well, you all know this, but let me say it again to anyone else who doesn't! I love reviews! I couldn't have written this far without my wonderful reviewers, so I thank you once again!

This chapter was a bit on the short side (I think? Maybe not), but the next one is brewing in my head as I type. ; )

Ah, and a notice: I'm very sorry my dear readers, but I will not be updating for 4 or 5 days. I have a camp that I will be at, with no internet. :P You might get chapter 9 before I leave (tomorrow) or I might have to write it when I get back. (I bet the number of viewers and/or reviews may change this fact for the faster:) But don't worry, I'm not quitting it, so check back in soon.

Thanks-

Gracie

**XXX  
**


	9. Power

**XXX**

Okay, everybody, I was pretty iffy on this chapter. I think it's a good explaining chapter, and I hope you all like it. :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto.

**XXX  
**

**A Story for Myself**

**A Naruto Fanfic**

**Chapter 9**

**Power**

"We should probably wait for Karin and Naruto," Gaara laughed as he and Sakura neared the blonde's apartment.

"Yeah, that'd be fine with me," Sakura said.

They were walking with their hands intertwined. Gaara smiled.

"What are you thinking?" Sakura asked curiously.

"How good this feels," Gaara told the truth as he held up their clasped hands.

"It does, doesn't it?" Sakura smiled.

Naruto's door burst open.

"Ah, Naruto!" Gaara yelled to him before he could start running to school. Naruto turned around and squinted at them. They were still a block away from each other.

"Gaara! Sakura!" He called as he jogged back to them.

"Hello, Naruto," Sakura waved.

"I almost didn't see you guys- eh?" Naruto looked at them now, noticing their hands. "Did Gaara finally get a girlfriend?" He asked smiling. Sakura could tell that Naruto was sincerely happy for them.

"Yep," Gaara smiled down at Sakura. She smiled back.

"Ah! Let's hurry, so I can see Hinata, then, because you two are making me so jealous!" He groaned loudly.

"See, what did I tell you?" Karin said from beside Sakura.

"AHH!!" Naruto screeched. He jumped backward and almost fell over.

The other three high schoolers burst out laughing.

"KARIN!" Naruto yelled. His face was red.

"What are you yelling at my girlfriend for, retard?" Sasuke asked as he joined their little parade.

"Wha?" Naruto asked, complete confusion overcoming his face. "Where did you come from?"

"What, now I can't meet my own friends in the morning, Naruto?" Sasuke asked him as if he was an absolute idiot.

"Sasuke, you can just-" Naruto's rage was cut off by Ino, who was just backed out of her flower shop that was also her home.

"Naruto, Karin, Sasuke, Sakura and Gaara!" Ino waved to them. "Wait, Sakura and Gaara?" She questioned as she joined the group.

"Ino, you're not sick anymore?" Sakura asked her suspiciously. "And yes, Sakura and Gaara,"

"Ah, I didn't even see that one coming," Sasuke added as he looked at them. "But I do suppose it makes sense,"

"See?" Karin bubbled. "I can almost see the future!"

"Why do I always get interrupted?" Naruto mumbled.

"Well," Ino said defensively while ignoring Naruto. "I just had a bit of a small cold, you know I haven't been feeling well,"

"Yeah, I know," Sakura admitted. "Are you feeling better now though?"

"Yep, good as new!" She gave a thumbs up to everyone. They all laughed at her Tuesday morning enthusiasm.

"So that means you can make it to my movie night on Saturday?" Karin asked.

"Ooo, of course, wouldn't miss it," Ino said, glad that she was included.

"Oh yeah," Gaara said now remembering what Karin had told them yesterday.

"Are you two coming too?" Karin asked Sakura and Gaara hopefully.

"Yeah, of course," Sakura said.

"Sure," Gaara smiled.

"Gaara smiled!" Karin pointed. "Best hook-up ever!"

"You're right, Karin!" Ino and Karin bubbled together.

The rest of the walk went like this until they all got to school. Gaara couldn't help up notice the queasy feeling that someone was watching him, them, the whole group.

Sakura fidgeted uneasily a few times as well.

"Does it feel to you like we're being followed, or… watched?" Sakura whispered in his ear. She had to stand on her tip-toes to stay quite.

"It does, and it's making me really uneasy," Gaara whispered down into her ear.

By now they were at the school.

"Talk to you later, in art," Sakura said as they parted for their first period classes.

"Yeah," Gaara replied before walking into the math classroom.

The feeling seemed to be gone.

By 9th period Gaara had received a few more memories of Shukaku. None of them were particularly bad.

_**Listen, Gaara. **_

_What do you want?_

_**You should know about your friends, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. **_

_What about them?_

_**Well, I guess you're probably closest to Sakura, so let me tell you one thing. She should know more about this soon, as well. She is the Spirit Child of Madara. She inherited the spirit of the Uchiha, even though she is not of blood decent, she is the most capable of the spirit of Madara.**_

_Madara… He was a famous Uchiha founder. Said to be a great leader and fighter. _

_**Yes. Ask her more about it tomorrow. By then she should know.**_

_What? Why would she just know then?_

_**Well, a special quality that the beast hosts possess is a power to infect or rather 'awaken' another's inner power.**_

_What?_

_**Everyone has dormant power with in himself or herself. **_He paused impatiently to see if Gaara was catching on.

_Right, okay._

_**When you, or any other beast host for that matter, are around someone a lot, and when you form a connection with that person, a bond, then you awaken their dormant power. **_

_And Sakura is a Spirit Child? _Spirit Children were supposedly people who had the spirits, mindsets, abilities, or wills of past great people. It was a legend. He was actually in Social Studies class right now. This is where he had learned about it, in their myths and legends unit.

_**Correct. The Spirit Child of Madara, the great founder of Uchiha. **_

_Ah, but wouldn't it make more sense if Sasuke would have been the Spirit Child? He is from the actual bloodline, after all. _

_**Uchiha Sasuke is the physical line of Madara, so yes, he is related to Madara. **_

Physical lines were just another way of saying relatives, but instead of just blood related, physical lines possessed actual physical qualities and traits of a person. Yet another legend.

_Not that I don't believe that, actually those legends aren't even as far-fetched as you and I, Shukaku._

There was a deep evil laugh. _**Now you're finally accepting your destiny, child. **_

_Ow, okay, enough information for today. _Gaara's head was actually starting to throb again.

_**Oh, and one more thing, Gaara. **_Shukaku's voice dripped with menace and satisfaction.

_Ah, what now?_

_**To get her to remember you must test our power, and **_**will**_** her to remember. **_

_Just will her to remember?_

_**Just will it into her soul, her body. **_

_Well, that sounds harmless. All right, I'll do it._

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day.

Gaara met up with Sakura at her locker.

"Hello, my cherry blossom," He said and smiled as they walked outside together.

"Gaara," Sakura said, hugging him.

"Do you want to come over to my house so we can finish that movie?" He asked her.

"Sure," She responded happily. "My parents won't get home until around seven or eight anyway."

They walked in silence for a few blissful moments, hand in hand, toward Gaara's house.

Gaara thought with all his strength, he willed Sakura to remember anything from her past, anything that related to her, or anything that made it clear to her that she was a Spirit Child.

Then he felt it, in almost tangible feeling, flowing through his body into her hand, her body, and her soul.

"Gaara," she asked him. She looked down at their hands. "Do you feel that?"

"I can tell you, right?" he asked her, looking into her eyes.

"You can tell me anything," She responded surely.

"Shukaku told me that you're a Spirit Child, Sakura," He said.

She gasped. "A Spirit Child, like in the legends?"

So Gaara went on to explain everything to her that Shukaku had explained to him.

"Ah, I see," She puzzled the information over in her head. "So what were you doing just now?" She pointed at their hands.

"I was willing you to remember anything important, that you needed to remember," Gaara said.

"Well," Sakura put things together. "This would make sense though, don't you see?"

"Hmm…" Gaara looked at her confusedly.

"If I were in fact the Spirit Child of Madara, then this would make sense," She continued, "Madara was supposedly able to read people's minds, actions, movements, among other things, and control them sometimes, as well."

Then it clicked for Gaara. "Just like you," He told her.

"Yeah, just like I can..." She got a far-away look in her eyes.

"Please, help me to remember, Gaara," She asked him. They were at his house now.

After they both greeted Lana they went upstairs and Sakura sat with Gaara on his bed.

He took her hands in his and channeled his energy through her. He gave her will to remember who she was, and to discover her inner power.

Gaara felt the sheer amount of power suddenly flowing through out his body, and he craved it, craved more and more. He craved to _control_ it. The feeling overwhelmed him, almost scared him.

Sakura watched as Gaara's hair was lifted by a wind that circled around him. She could feel not only the power flowing into her, but it radiating from his body as well.

_Gaara is truly powerful… He really has Shukaku inside of him. _Sakura thought as the aurora let up and Sakura felt filled, renewed with energy and sheer strength.

"Gaara," She whispered.

"Sakura…" He said, sighing. "It might take up too 24 hours to remember anything,"

"Ah, but that's okay," She said. She hugged him, and he embraced her back.

_But she doesn't need to know how much energy I just… lost. _Gaara thought, exhausted and sore.

_**Well done, Gaara. You handled that better than I would have expected. **_

Gaara noticed that Shukaku sounded oddly pleased and satisfied.

* * *

For the next hour, Sakura and Gaara talked about anything and everything. Eventually she went home to meet her parents, and Gaara shuffled into the kitchen.

Lana was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of tea and reading the newspaper.

Gaara glanced at the clock. It was only 8:30 p.m., but he felt like he could pass out right then and there.

Instead, he warily sat down at the table and got him self some tea as well.

"Lana," Gaara said. She folded up her newspaper.

"What is it, Gaara?" She asked as she sipped her tea.

"When did you find out about Shukaku, and who told you?" He asked as if he was asking what day of the week it was.

Lana gulped hard on her tea.

"Shukaku?" Lana looked at him skeptically.

"Don't tell me you don't know," Gaara answered her.

"Ah, so you have started to remember, indeed," She looked down at the table with a sad expression.

"Yes, and I want to know what's going on," Gaara said, sincerely concerned as he pointed to the scratch on her neck. "You didn't accidentally cut yourself, Lana."

"We have a lot to talk about, Gaara," She looked up at him.

_Finally_ he was going to get some answers. The only obstacle he had this time, was staying awake.

**XXX**

Plllleaaaseee review. Anything to make it better, any sugestions, even if it's with a critical eye (with good intentions), reviews definitely help to make my story better.

Notice: This is my last chapter before camp. So if you read the notice in chapter 8, then you know that I won't be updating for a couple of days. Don't worry, though, I'm definitely not giving up or abandoning this story. :) I've gotten many good reviews, and I'm glad you all like it. Check back soon for more.

Haha, and if this randomly has any spelling/grammer errors in it (which it shouldn't cuz I've been using spell check and whatnot:) then it's because it's 2:30am in the morning, here, and my spelling always goes bad after... well, my spellings just always bad. :)

Anyways, Thanks a bunch for reading everyone!

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	10. 4:44am

**XXX**

It's finally here! Chapter 10! Sorry everyone for the wait, and thank you for the reviews while I was gone. For all of you who were wondering, I was at 4-H camp. : ) It's been a few days since I got back, and I wrote this chapter two days ago at like 3:30 in the morning, but fell asleep before I could publish it. :P Anyway, hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto.**

**XXX  
**

**A Story for Myself**

**A Naruto Fanfic**

**Chapter 10**

**4:44 a.m.**

Madara looked unto the sky as he took his last breath. He saw there a soul which equally matched his own. It was a girl, not of his blood, but of his heart and courage type. She was born in the future, but as he drifted off into death he smiled and gave his soul to her, his abilities and his strength.

"Take this, and use it wisely," he smiled and exhaled leaving this world behind.

Sakura jolted upright in her bed, making the covers go flying. She was breathing hard and broke into a cold sweat.

"Whoa." She said to herself as she pulled just her sheet over her again. "Now that, was a really, really... _different_ dream,"

The alarm clock on the table beside her bed read 4:44 a.m.

_What an odd number… _Sakura thought as she closed her heavy eyelids.

* * *

Gaara still wasn't asleep, even though he had been so tired earlier. He hadn't slept really all night. In the time that he didn't sleep, however, he went over the conversation he had had with Lana just hours earlier. It must have been the millionth and first time that he reviewed each and every word.

"Your parents died, and they took away your memories after they died," She had started out.

"Okay," Gaara took in the information. He already knew that his parents were basically mercenaries for the village of Suna, but beyond that no one had really told him anything.

"They knew about Shukaku, because at the time that he was sealed in you, you were the only capable host."

"Wait, why was I the only one?" He asked her, just getting started. He was going to get everything he wanted to know that Lana had.

"Have you ever heard of Chakra?"

"Isn't that like a type of energy or something?"

"Yes, it's spiritual and physical energy within a person. All people have it."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You had a different kind of Chakra, Gaara, like yours was on a different frequency, and it was the right and same frequency as Shukaku's Chakra, not to mention you had loads of it that would be able to suppress Shukaku's Chakra, or blend it's with yours in the least." She explained patiently.

"Why didn't my parents stop them from sealing Shukaku in me, then?" Gaara said uneasily.

"They didn't know at first, the Elders took you from them without them knowing because they knew that your parents wouldn't have let that happen willingly." Lana said. "When they found out that something in your sealing was wrong and that they had to erase all of your memories, your parents wouldn't let them. By then you were already four years old. There was a possibility that you could have lost more memories than just of people and things. There was a risk that you could die from not remembering how to breathe, among other things. They were actually planning on transferring Shukaku to another child who had been born and had the right qualities of a host." She looked down at her fingers and wrung her hands and fingers, fidgeting.

_**And if they did that you would have died. **_Shukaku answered Gaara's question before he could open his mouth.

"Oh." He said aloud. Lana looked up curiously. "Then I would have died, if they transferred Shukaku, right?"

She nodded then spoke, "Your parents fought for you and loved you Gaara, no matter what you did,"

But he missed the sad tone that Lana had hidden under her thoughtful words. There was also another emotion there, but he has so many thoughts forming already that he didn't notice this either.

Gaara finally had to ask one of the many other nagging questions he had building, already, in his head so he could make more sense of the conversation so far.

"Who are _they_?"

Lana sighed.

"_They _are a secret organization in Suna, called the Anbu Black Ops. Every village has an organization of them. They're part spies, part ninja, highly trained, and deadly. They have power that has been basically unheard of since the past ages, power which was thought to have died out. They can control their Chakra, and awaken their dormant powers." She finished but then added, "Dormant powers, or abilities are in everyone, but people rarely awaken them and only a handful can keep them awake."

Gaara leaned back in his chair.

"So there has been an Anbu threatening you?" Gaara guessed.

"Well, yes and no."

Gaara silently told her to go on.

"Sheena is an Anbu that comes here every month to check in on you, Gaara," She started. "She came yesterday, and asked if anything new was happening, like she always does." Gaara noticed that Lana sounded annoyed, if anything, and he almost laughed as he realized that she must really not like this lady. "I made the petty mistake of hesitating before I answered and she caught on that something was happening. I told her that you were only regaining memories of yourself, not Shukaku, as you had said, but of course she didn't believe me."

"Why did she cut you?" Gaara asked cross.

_Sheena and the Anbu from Suna are really starting to give me the impression of "A pain in the ass," _Gaara thought.

Somewhere deep within his mind Shukaku's laughter rumbled quietly.

"She, of course, was being careless, as usual. Almost gave me a heart attack, too." Lana crossed her arms.

They were both silent for a minute.

"Gaara, I don't know what's going to happen, now that they know…" Lana said.

"What do you think they will do?" he asked her.

"Well, they'll probably try to transfer Shukaku to another host, seeing as though he's not blocked from you're mind any longer."

"So they're going to try any kill me?"

"Perhaps…" She trailed off but then suddenly slammed her fist down on the table. "But damn it! I won't let that happen Gaara, we'll just have to figure something out,"

"What if they're coming to get me right now?" He asked solemnly.

She sighed again and sipped her tea.

"They'll need two weeks to find a new host, at least. It could possibly take them up to two months."

The rest of the conversation was nothing more important, just small details, like the fact that they erased his memories after his parents were dead because they weren't there to stop them, and they tricked Aunt Lana. They were going to talk about what to do sometime tomorrow.

_Well actually today. _He thought, seeing as though it wasn't night anymore, it was early morning.

_**Gaara. Do you know how your parents died? **_Shukaku's voice rumbled deeply throughout his skull. He laughed menacingly.

_Lana said it was an accident when they were working… _Gaara got the feeling it was something more. He felt a memory piecing itself back together in his mind.

_**You're about to find out.

* * *

**_

Gaara's mother and father were in the living room, watching the news. A sand storm had hit a part of Suna the other day.

"That's just horrible," His mother said.

"Look at all that debris," His father said. "We'll probably be getting called out to work anytime now, people are probably traveling to other nations to stay somewhere else,"

Gaara stumbled into the living room from the kitchen and watched the sand on the screen as it whooshed around and around, stronger and stronger. He didn't pay any attention to the people or the things getting thrown around, though. He was only mesmerized by the sand.

"Naoki, Gaara is-" She started to say but was cut off when sand hit her face and made it start to bleed.

"Gaara, calm down," Naoki, his father, said calmly and gently.

His mother was holding her cheek, but slowly moved toward Gaara with only care and concern in her eyes. Gaara wasn't looking though. He was curled into a tiny ball, his little knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around him, holding himself together. Sand was swarming around the room, circling them faster and faster, whipping at high speeds before Gaara made a hard ball of sand around him and started sobbing, as he couldn't stop the sand storm going on in his own home. He couldn't control Shukaku's power as he remembered a past sandstorm that Shukaku had created and had killed thousands of people. He blacked out completely, only hearing screams and windows shattering, walls collapsing.

Then Shukaku took over.

He didn't know how much time had past or where he was when he woke up. Then he felt a hard dirt surface beneath him and winds whipping past him.

_Shukaku, what happened while I was asleep? _He asked the sand demon as he looked all around him.

_**You killed lots of people in Suna, who were going to kill you. **_

He looked around in a panic, to see buildings destroyed and sand everywhere. There were people laying on the streets and bloodstains on the road.

_How do you know that they were going to kill me?! What if they were good?_

_**You were meant to kill Gaara, that is your purpose, can't you see? All those people were afraid of you and had thoughts of "What if you didn't exist,"**_

_Why am I meant to, though? How do you know?_

_**Because I am you, Gaara, and you have the capability to kill like no one else, so don't you think you were meant to use it?**_

_Well I guess, since those people were trying to kill me… and no one else can kill like I can?_

_**No, Gaara, you're unique, one of a kind. **_The poor younger Gaara was being manipulated by Shukaku.

_Oh. That's cool, I guess. _He was only five years old.

Gaara ran over to two bodies that were close to his destroyed home. They were his mother and father, dead.

_But… but I… _

He started crying again.

* * *

Gaara's eyes were closed, and the memory was now his to keep. Tears silently rolled down his face, just like they did back then.

_I killed them. _He clenched his fists and hit his bed with a thud.

_I killed my own parents._ Gaara realized that there was sand flying all around him. _Where the hell did all that come from?_ He thought, referring to the sand. _Oh shit, it's happening again, just like it did with my parents._

He raised his hands in the air, and pictured the swirling sand dieing down, stopping.

_**Ah, much more control now, Gaara, you've come far. **_

_Damn you, Shukaku, it wasn't me who killed my parents, it was you, your power. _

_**But it was you who couldn't control it, Gaara. **_

He pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers and his thumb.

_My mom… And my dad…_

With a throbbing headache he looked over at the clock on his windowsill. It was 4:44a.m as he was thrown into another memory. He screamed in pain.

That was it. He had had enough.

Gaara had snapped.

**XXX**

Things are just starting to reveal themselves, and Gaara still has to decide if he'll give in and start using Shukaku's powers or not! And if not, then what's he going to do about them? And if he does give in then what will happen? I guess you'll just have to subscibe or keep checking in to find out! ; )

Thanks everyone who reviews, and thanks for the good wishes I got from people when I went to camp. I hope you all are enjoying your summeras well, well I guess that depends on where you are in the world... hm, I hope you all are enjoying where ever you are! lol : )

Review, review, review! Please, and thanks. I do read every review and greatly appreciate good reviews and like good critique. Thank you for the suggestions, too. Reviewers and reviews are what make my stories, since they get me motivated to write and give me better ways to write the story.

**XXX  
**


	11. Problems

**XXX**

Hello, again! : ) This chapter I was again, a little iffy on, but I'm still trying to get everything figured out. I hope it's good, and I hope you like it.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto.  
**

**XXX  
**

**A Story for Myself**

**A Naruto Fanfic**

**Chapter 11**

**Problems**

Heart racing, Sakura sat up with a jolt, throwing the sheets off her bed yet again. Once again she looked over at the alarm clock beside her bed. It read 4:59a.m.

_**Gaara**_**. **A voice whispered to her.

_**Gaara. **_Another voice sounded. They were different.

_**Go to- **_A third voice said.

_**Gaara. **_The first voice finished for the third.

Sakura blinked, suddenly wide-awake.

_Now what the hell was that? _She thought.

The voices sounded again, in the same pattern, telling her but one thing.

_Go to Gaara.

* * *

_

_**Gaa…ra… Why… did you… do that?**_ Shukaku said as Gaara started to die.

The door to Gaara's bedroom burst open.

"Gaara?" Lana yelled. She had heard him yell.

She looked over to Gaara, who was leaning against a wall of his bedroom. Surrounding him was a pool of blood, which came from multiple wounds all over his body. His clothes were torn; he had bruises already forming on his face and arms.

She rushed over to him, or tried to, there was a bunch of sand on the floor that slightly slowed her down.

_He's losing too much blood. _Lana thought desperately, ignoring the sand.

"La… na…" Gaara mumbled.

Lana leaned in closer, panicking, losing all train of thought.

"Go, let… Sakura… in the… house," Gaara said then shuddered violelently. He let out a cry of pure pain, and the sand on the floor closed in a sphere around him, while she heard muffled groans and slicing sounds.

She gasped, and then ran down the spiral staircase, tripping at the bottom and hitting her shin very hard on the side of it. Stumbling over to the door she unlocked it and flung it open.

There she saw a wide-eyed pink haired girl in mid-knock.

"Sakura, Gaara, he," She ran out of breath.

Sakura raced past her and she followed, staggering.

As soon as she got in Gaara's room she knew what had happened. The sand was a big hint.

_He had a memory and lost control of Shukaku's power._

Bending down she placed a hand on his forehead before yelling, "Lana, call 911!"

* * *

They were both in the odd place where Sakura had awoken Gaara from a memory before. It was the vast emptyness with a desert-like setting.

Gaara was crouched down; sand forming around him again and again, creating barriers and walls, thicker and thicker. Sakura ran toward them, not quite sure what she was going to do. Tears leaked from her eyes as she fought through the sand, then it started opening for her. She wasn't trying anymore, another presence was controlling the sand, and moving it so she could get to Gaara.

_**Save him.**_

_He doesn't deserve any of this. _As she ran toward Gaara he seemed to get farther and farther away.

"Gaara!" She yelled. He didn't hear her. Her heart was throbbing, begging her to stop running so hard.

"Gaara!" She sobbed this time, pushing herself harder. She got brief images of his parents, how he killed them, more of Shukaku's memories, more of Gaara's childhood.

Sakura only got flashes. Gaara was reliving them all at once.

Gaara couldn't control Shukaku's unbelievable power as he was thrown in and out of memories, ripped apart, gaining knowledge too fast. So it lashed out, just like it did when he killed his parents. Only this time Gaara used the ounce of control he had left to form a barrier around himself, of sand, so the power would only unleash in the sand sphere. Unfortunately he could only create it around himself, leaving himself the only thing to unleash his own power on.

And that wasn't working too well. Besides the up of not hurting anyone he loved, the bad part was that he was killing himself. Not that he did it intentionally, but the only option he had had right then was to do this.

Now he couldn't stop the power from killing him.

He was going to die.

_What's going to happen if I die?_ He thought in a tiny part of his mind that wasn't being ripped apart; the peak of a mountain, which he could barely sit on, in a giant flood.

Then he was washed into the sea with a giant wave. Knowing this was the end he opened his eyes under the water, not knowing what else to do.

Sakura was underwater, swimming toward him. She grabbed him, and pulled him back the other way. Not up or down, just the other way.

Suddenly he didn't have to hold his breath anymore.

"Gaara, are you back?" Sakura huffed as he looked around. Once again they were both in his mind, the vast desert landscape.

Gaara closed his eyes again and sighed. He couldn't feel any more memories. He could remember them, but now he could block the ones he had, the ones he had lived.

"Sakura," He throbbed all over and his jaw felt like it was broken.

"Gaara, we have to get back, come on," She smiled weakly at him. He could see her even though his eyes were closed. He could feel her presence.

* * *

He heard the blaring of a siren, the slamming of doors, and then he getting jostled around, like he was lying down in a car. He could feel Sakura's hand holding his, and that's all he focused on.

_**Gaara, YOU ALMOST KILLED YOURSELF! WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU TRYING TO DO? **_ Shukaku yelled in his head. He cringed at the loudness of Shukaku's voice. It seemed to echo inside his head. He heard a soft female voice say, "It'll be alright, after one more shot you shouldn't feel anything that hurts." Little did she know what he was cringing from.

_Shukaku, can you just try and be quite?_

No, if you killed us, you know what-

_PLEASE?_

_**You're a real lucky host. Many before you have met their end at things much less fatal than things like these. **_

_Are you getting attached, Shukaku? _Gaara mentally smiled, seeing as though he couldn't feel anything but Sakura's hand holding his on the physical side of his mind.

_**Attached? To what, you? Isn't that an understatement? It's more like trapped, or sealed, or-**_

Gaara sighed, in a drug-induced bliss of painlessness.

_**You're not even listening to me, are you?**_

_Nope. _

_**You know I could cause you a mental Hell, and not any drugs could fix that. Ever. **_He said darkly.

Gaara fretted about in his own mind. He heard outside sounds momentarily before they were shut off completely, and it was only himself and Shukaku in the vast desert of his mind, once again. They couldn't see each other, they just talked, only voices in the soul existence of his mind.

_**But as you can see, I can't control how I unleash my power completely; just how I use it after it's unleashed. I can also control small amounts of it being unleashed at a time. **_Shukaku said quietly.

Gaara calmed again.

_Okay. _Gaara could hardly pay attention to Shukaku.

_**Even I wasn't expecting what just happened to happen. **_He said even quieter, his voice fading.

Gaara was there now, sitting in the vast landscape of his mind. He thought, and thought, and thought about what had just happened. He thought about all the memories, his parents, everything. He didn't know how long he just sat there, staring at the ground, not saying a word. It could have been hours. It could have been years. It could have been seconds. He just couldn't tell.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Sakura looked at Gaara, sleeping in his hospital bed. None of the doctors knew when he was going to wake up, they said he could be out for a few days, a few hours, he also might be slipping into a coma.

They had treated all of his wounds. He had gauze everywhere. Cuts and burns were all over his body, and there was a large wound from the top of his left shoulder mid way down his stomach. They had said that that was the one that was bleeding the most, and it was pure luck that he was still alive. But Sakura knew it was something more.

_Shukaku. _

_**The boy. **_A soft, light voice said.

_**The boy, **_A harsher tone with a louder voice said.

_**Survived. **_Both of them chorused.

_**The world**_ _**is saved.**_ The first voice whispered.

_**For now. **_A new voice finished.

Sakura inhaled sharply. Those voices definitely _weren't_ in her head. She could tell that much. They were the same three voices that she had heard when she had known Gaara was in trouble.

_Is this what it means to be a spirit child? _She thought warily, looking around quickly, as if to find the source of the voices.

Suddenly the door opened and Sakura jumped with a small noise.

"Ah, Sakura!" Naruto said. He looked over at Gaara and his eyes grew wide. Quieter he said, "He really got hit by a car? It looks more like he went through hell,"

Sakura looked around the room again, starting to get paranoid.

"Naruto," she said sadly. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

For the next hour Sakura and Naruto, surprisingly, talked quietly beside Gaara, who was still on life support.

"I…" Naruto began, leaning back in the chair that he was sitting in. "Never would have imagined that he… well,"

"Yeah, I'm just glad that you believe me."

"Sakura, I am the nine-tails of Konoha," Naruto said, looking her straight in the eyes. This meant that he was serious.

"At this point Naruto, I'm not surprised." Sakura looked down at her fingers.

"But Konoha didn't screw me up." He explained. "I have a lot more power than others do, and it seems that Shukaku is a lot different than the fox, but I never got any memories of its. I just know it's there, kind of like a lingering presence. I live on my own too; my parents have died. But the old man third that runs our village has told me _everything_. Unlike those Bastards of the Sand, who kept _everything_ from Gaara." Naruto clenched his fist.

"Lana has talked to me as well," Sakura said, opening the blinds on the window in Gaara's hospital room. "Suna knows now, that Shukaku has been awakened, and they're going to try and get Gaara, to transfer Shukaku, which will kill Gaara."

"We can't let that happen, it's just not fair!" Naruto said, his anger rising. "What did he ever do... to deserve this?!"

"I know," Sakura said as she leaned against the window frame and looked into the sky. It was overcast and thunder shook the entire building. Then it started to rain. Sakura looked into the sky, hoping to find an answer there.

_Gaara…_

**XXX**

So Gaara could be slipping into a coma! Oh no! And what's up with Sakura, the Spirit Child? She's out there. ; ) I know Sakura may seem like she knows her powers better, and stuff, but if you compare them it was, indeed, Gaara, who has woken that power within her. Look at him, he has so much that it's too hard to control! Naruto is a host too! None of us saw that coming! Haha, just kidding.

Well? What do you think? Press that little review button down there to tell me! : ) Okay, well, again, I hope this chapter was good, if you like it then check back for more soon!

**XXX  
**


	12. Leaving?

**XXX**

Hey, sorry everyone for the wait. I had slight writers corner, yes, I made that up: ) Because unfortunately I had no idea where I was going with this story after this point. But, it's solved, and I have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen. Once again, sorry for the delayness. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please tell me what you think of it! Any other ideas could very well be put into the story as well, so feel free to speak up in reviews or PMs. : )

Oh, and well as I've read over this chapter I've realized that there is some major OOC going on through out the story. Well, I just wanted to sort of explain that, I mean. This is the side of Gaara, where... well think personality after he becomes Kazekage. Thoughtfull, and even though it may seem like he talks a lot or doesn't have all of his normal habits, he isn't being compared to any other of the main characters.

ANYWAY, I apologize for the OOC, even with Sakura and what not, but I hope you understand and I shall try to improve that.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto.  
**

**XXX  
**

**A Story for Myself**

**A Naruto Fanfic**

**Chapter 12**

**Leaving?  
**

Naruto and Sakura had agreed that they would help Lana and Gaara in any way they could in the next two weeks, but to plan anything else Gaara would have to be conscious.

So that left Sakura alone in his hospital room. She stayed there day and night, for hours, only leaving to go to the bathroom. She was always holding his hand, even when she slept. Lana was there most of the time as well. Naruto visited after school.

When she was alone though, the only sound was the beeping of Gaara's heart and her muffled sobs.

* * *

Thursday morning

"Sakura," Gaara puzzled as he looked out the window. "What is today?"

"Oh, it's Thursday morning," she responded as she blinked and woke up. She had been sleeping with her head on his mattress but she was sitting in a chair.

Then she looked at him.

_Gaara is awake._

Her eyes grew wider.

He squeezed her hand as he turned back to look at her.

"Then I was out for what, two days?" Gaara asked mostly to himself.

_Gaara is awake._

"Sakura?" Gaara raised a thin eyebrow.

_Gaara is awake._

Sakura pushed the button beside his bed for a nurse.

_Gaara is awake._

"Sakura…?" his face took on an expression of worry as Sakura closed her eyes and let a few tears escape. She pinched herself, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Her super-hard pinch hurt so bad she almost yelped. She opened her eyes to find Gaara still looking concerned at her.

She wrapped her arms around him and he slowly hugged her back.

_Gaara is awake._

"Ah, you're awake," She said drying her tears, as she still didn't let go of Gaara. He didn't seem to mind.

"Well, yeah, I just past out because, well," He tried to decide where to start.

Just then the door opened. They released each other as a nurse and a doctor came in.

"Sakura we-" The doctor started. Then he stopped in mid-sentence as they saw Gaara. Both their faces showed shock as the nurse flipped open a file and began scribbling down words.

"Gaara, you're awake," he said, relief flooding his voice. "Go call Gaara's Guardian, Lana, and report back here immediately," He told the nurse. She nodded and hurried out of the room.

Twenty minutes later and after many questions Lana arrived and burst into the room.

"Gaara!" She cried in relief. "Thank God!"

Then the doctor explained.

"He had scratches and wounds all over his body along with bruises when our ambulance brought him to the hospital. A fatal wound on his chest and stomach was stabilized and we were able to take him off life-support Wednesday afternoon. You said that a car hit him, though he doesn't seem to remember much of it. That's common, but will be just fine, since it seems that he isn't having any serious memory loss issues. Now, if you two don't mind I need to see Lana for paperwork and the nurses need to evaluate his status now."

Sakura let go of his hand for the first time for more than 5 minutes, and did a little wave to him as she walked out of the room with Lana.

He closed his eyes and though for a moment.

_Did I really worry them _that _much? _He thought surprised. There was a little twinge in his heart though, that he didn't really understand how to acknowledge.

It was a little while before they were all herded into the room again for a status report on Gaara.

The doctor and the nurse were flipping through the same papers over and over again.

"Gaara is…" The doctor slapped the file closed. "Perfectly healthy. Not a scratch on him now, not even any scars. It's absolutely amazing; his recuperative abilities must be astonishing."

"So you may sign Gaara out, but he will have to come in for a check up in two days, then every week for a month, but the secretary will handle that with you," The nurse said politely.

"We were planning on moving in the next month, so what should we do about that?" Lana asked.

Gaara almost opened his mouth in shock. They were _moving?_ But he went along with it for the moment and nodded.

"We can just send Gaara's files to the next doctor or hospital you are closest to or going too,"

"Alright, Gaara, let's get you signed out," Lana said giving him a 'don't worry' glance when the doctor and nurse weren't looking.

And hour later they were all in Gaara and Lana's house, at the kitchen table.

"So were moving, eh?" Gaara asked. He wasn't going to let that happen. No way.

"Well, I don't know yet," Lana sighed and leaned back in her chair while rubbing her temples.

"You understand that we'll probably be on the run, since Suna isn't going to give up on trying to capture you, and kill you to seal Shukaku in another host," Lana said, still rubbing her head.

"We can't just… leave," Gaara said, trying to suppress emotion.

"We're going to have to, Gaara," Lana said somberly. This was the only way, and all of them knew it.

"We'll have to get new names and be on the run until… well," Lana stopped.

"Until what?" Sakura asked. She sounded a mixture of angry and sad.

"Oh, I just don't know," Lana said, defeated.

"You _are_ going to have to move," Sakura sighed, and slumped in her chair, also defeated.

"Sakura," Gaara said gently, looking into her eyes. He didn't want to leave her, but if it meant keeping her safe, keeping their friends safe…

"I'll keep in touch," Gaara encouraged her.

"That wouldn't hurt, I guess," Lana said.

"When and where are we going to go?" Gaara asked.

"The Land of Water, most likely, in Kirigakure, then if they find us there, the Land of Lightning." Lana said.

"But what are we aiming for, moving around and all? What's the purpose?" Gaara asked.

"To shake them and hopefully come back here, or maybe to get assistance from Konoha or Kiri, to protect you, like they do their own tailed beasts…" Lana said.

"Can't you just do that now?" Sakura asked.

"No, because to get into contact with the Kage of any village will take probably six months, then it will take a while to get everything sorted out, and on top of that we don't know who we can trust," Lana sighed again.

"So we move around until we can get help from the attacking Suna?" Gaara asked, trying to sum everything up.

"Basically, and so we have to move in the next two weeks… well by, let's see," Lana got up and looked at the calendar on the fridge. "Since we assume that they'll need at minimum two weeks, and Sheena found out on the 25th of May, we have to be in the Land of Water by the 8th of June…"

"Today is…" Gaara trailed off. Being asleep for over 48 hours had really messed up his sense of day and night and date in general.

"It's Thursday evening," Sakura said, smiling at him. She was just still glad that he wasn't in a coma.

"So we'll head for the Land of Water in five days, on the 3rd of June, that way we can get packed and find someplace to rent or reserve, and you can finish school on the 2nd." Lana said.

"That sounds logical," Gaara responded, thinking of Sakura. He didn't want to leave her. Nor did he want to leave his friends… Naruto, and Neji, Sauke, Hinata, Tenten, his whole group of friends that he had loved so much, actually gotten close too, unlike he had to anyone else.

He tried to not think about it.

_The movie night at Karin's. _He thought suddenly. _It wouldn't be to late for me to go to that._

"Oh, Sakura, you better be getting home," Lana said as she glanced at the clock. It was 7:30p.m. "Oh, I'm sorry," Lana apologized, "I didn't mean to push you out or anything, your welcome to stay, but your…"

"Yeah, my parents are probably worried," Sakura said glumly.

Gaara came over and hugged her from behind as she stood up.

Lana smiled sadly and said " I'll leave you two alone for a few," and walked into the living room.

"Gaara…" Sakura choked out a whisper. She was trembling as Gaara wiped a tear that had leaked from her eye.

"Sakura, it'll be okay," he said, holding her tighter. She just put her hands on his.

"You know I won't forgive you if you get killed," Sakura said.

"Oh, Sakura, I'm not going to die, and I won't forgive you if you forget about me," He said, playing with her fingers.

Sakura turned around in his embrace and leaned into him, hugging him back. They stood for a few moments of silence.

"I will _never _forget you," She said with a dozen powerful emotions in her voice. Gaara could here sadness, determination, longing, caring, but most of all, love.

Gaara held her chin with his thumb, index finger and middle finger, making her look at him. He looked into her eyes, conveying feelings without words, then kissed her on the lips, soft, gentle, but full of passion.

She kissed him back, engraving every second in her mind, as he did.

"Sakura…" Gaara said as he smiled at her. She looked at him and slightly tilted her head.

"I love you," and with that they went into another kiss.

"I love you too, Gaara," Sakura said truthfully.

They walked, hand in hand, all the way to her house, slowly. They talked and laughed, about everything, currently keeping their minds off of the situation at hand with Gaara moving.

When they finally got to Sakura's house, he pulled her into one last goodnight kiss, then let her go to her front door. She smiled back at him and said, "I'll meet you to walk to school tomorrow, right?"

"Of course," he responded, and with that she disappeared into her house.

It was only dusk, but Gaara stayed on main roads as long as he could on the way back to the house. Lana knew that they had just gone to Sakura's, but it was a lot later than any of them had planned.

_Of course, I have two weeks. _He thought to himself, turning onto the block where he lived. _Only one more turn, and I'm home._

Still, on the deserted suburb block, he quickened his pace.

_**Watch it, kid. **_He heard Shukaku. Just now he realized that this was the first time he had heard Shukaku since he had woken up.

Gaara was on high alert now, though.

There was someone near him, he could feel it.

**XXX**

Okay, well I hope you liked it, everyone! : ) R&R, that's all I can say. Reviews are so nice. If you write on fanfiction, you probably understand that, so this whole thing about write reviews is mainly for the anonymous of you out there.

This was one of those iffy chapters, again, so I hope I did okay.

Oh, and one more thing. If you haven't already, check out my new High school fic, involving Gaara and my OC, Holly. It just got started, but it helped me get past my block on this one, and it has a pretty different view on Gaara.

And sorry for the major long author notes, I'll try to minimize on those as well. : )

**XXX  
**


	13. The Sunrise

**XXX**

First just let me say, I'm so sorry. This chapter is pathetically short, and probably pathetically horrible, too. I'm bashing myself so you don't have to in the reviews, so don't, please. I already feel horrible enough for not updating, because that's one of my pet peeves, and I absolutely HATE it when other authors do it. I've been so fucking busy. It's not even funny. I did enjoy writing the last part, and to mention it, it's just a connecting chapter to the summer arc that I'll be writing soon. Hopefully that helps.

Anyway, I hope you find an ounce of enjoyment from this chapter. Short, I know, but hopefully I'll write a deliciously long one next. : ) Until then.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the charcters in Naruto. **

**XXX  
**

**A Story for Myself **

**A Naruto Fanfic**

**Chapter 13**

**The Sunrise  
**

A kunai came flying out at him as he rounded the corner. Gaara waited to embrace the pain. But he opened his eyes and blinked in surprise.

There was a wall of sand protecting him. He hadn't done a thing, though. Quickly he looked around, making sure no one saw him. At the same time he was looking for the weapon thrower.

"So you really _are _the host, then," A girl with blond hair and violet eyes said. She was leaning casually against a wall of a building, not more than five yards from Gaara. His sand had fallen to the ground, but slowly circled him. He glanced down at it curiously before focusing back on the person who had just tried to attack him.

"What do you want?" Gaara asked indifferently.

"You, of course, so we can save you from Shukaku," the girl said, looking straight into Gaara's pale blue eyes.

"Don't you mean kill me in the process?" Gaara snarled angrily.

"No, you wouldn't die, Gaara, if you just came with me, I will take you to the sand and show you… we have found a way to extract the beast without killing you," She said.

"Sure," Gaara rolled his eyes then glared at her. "Your Sheena, aren't you, the person who threatened Lana,"

"Yes, I am Sheena," She said, pushing of the wall and facing him. "If you will not come willingly then I'll just force you,"

"No," Gaara said. He raised his hands, just doing what felt right. Flicking them, thousands of tiny bullets pelted Sheena. She gasped.

"Ah!" Sheena covered her face, but little droplets of blood covered her arms.

_**That's right, Gaara, once the sand is inside her body you can kill her, the one who has been threatening you and your family.**_

_Just her, and Lana will be safe…_

Gaara smirked of satisfaction as Sheena screamed and sand began moving around in her arms, clumping together to destroy veins and arteries.

But suddenly, Gaara's arms started to have this exploding sensation, as if his arms were on fire.

_What… what is…?_ Gaara grimanced as the pain grew steadily worse.

_**You need to stop thinking about **_**her, **_**and more on just the sand, or you will feel what she feels. **_

_What? This is… I'm… killing her… _He realized that he was literally destroying the person's arms in front of him.

_No, I… I don't want to hurt anyone! _Gaara started to panic in his own mind.

Sheena was clutching her arms, and there was a green aura around her hands. The pain in Gaara's hands stopped, and sand seeped out of Sheena's wounds.

Suddenly there was sand all around him, and then he was gone.

* * *

"Lana," Sheena said as she leaned against the kitchen doorway and Lana sat calmly at the table, reading the newspaper. She glanced over at the ninja girl and gasped. Blood was running down her arms.

Quickly Lana got up and dampened a few old towels.

"You're helping me?" Lana chuckled, shaking.

"No, I don't want you to get blood on the floor," Lana said in all seriousness.

"Gaara is the host, I've confirmed it," Sheena said.

"Tell me something I don't know, Sheena," Lana said, and frowned.

"You still have time to leave," The ninja said quietly.

Lana just sort of stared at her. "Really?"

"Yes, it's going to take them about four weeks to track down the new host. I'm only here to confirm that Shukaku has really activated in Gaara's mind."

Lana nodded as she heard steps coming down the stairs.

_What the hell… Did Gaara come back and I didn't notice?_

She looked back to Sheena. She wasn't there.

_That's surprising. _Lana thought with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes. Sure enough, Gaara came into the kitchen. He looked around hastilly, with a mixture of anger and nervousness on his face.

"Gaara, your home," Lana said surprised.

"Sheena, I ran into her when I was walking home, and I…" Gaara put a hand on his head.

"What?" Lana asked, still trying to decide if she should tell him that Sheena had just come here or not.

Gaara started from the beginning, until he told her that he had… hurt Sheena. He didn't want to lose her, but then again, she might think that he was a monster.

"I know, Gaara," Lana said with a sad smile. Her eyes only held understanding, though. She also silently cursed Sheena for telling Gaara a lie about not killing him just to get him to go with her. Just when she thought the girl had some hope... Though she pondered the lie herself. She could tell that Gaara didn't buy an ounce of it, and that's how she was going to leave it for now. "Sheena came here not too long ago, and her arms were torn up,"

"She did!?" Gaara said alarmed. "Did she hurt you?"

"No, no, Gaara," She said with a laugh. "Thank you for caring about me so much,"

Gaara just looked at her with a sort of half-smile that didn't seem to really fit on his face.

"She said that we have about four weeks and the only reason she came at you like that tonight was to confirm that Shukaku had indeed woken up."

"Ah, I shouldn't have been so careless," He said, sitting down and whamming his head down on the table. It felt about ready to explode.

"Well, just try to keep you abilities hidden, as best as possible," Lana said. "And don't hit your head so hard, Gaara," She made up an ice pack from the freezer once she saw the giant red spot on his forehead. Gaara took the pack then set it on the table, not even attempting to hold it on his forehead. Lana sighed.

"We should probably follow the same schedule, though, so we can move out next week, maybe postpone moving for two more days so we can pack more," Lana said. Gaara just leaned back in his chair. He glanced over at the clock. He had school in the morning, since tomorrow was Friday. It was already eleven.

Of course he wouldn't be able to sleep, though. He hadn't been able to sleep right ever since he had started hearing Shukaku.

Lana looked over at the clock, almost reading his mind. "You should probably get some rest, Gaara."

"Yeah," He responded as he headed over to the stairs. "Night," He called.

On his way up he took the spiral staircase two steps at a time. The rhythm of him going up the steps almost matched his pounding headache. It seemed like he had been getting a lot of those lately.

He didn't even bother changing clothes. He just simply lied down on his bed, put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. A lot had happened to him today. For the next few hours he went over it all. Once or twice he got another gruesome memory from Shukaku. Nothing he wasn't used to by now, though. As the time went by, without him getting tired, he noticed this light that kept getting brighter. It wasn't anywhere exactly, so he couldn't pinpoint it.

Finally the light got so annoying that he sat up on his bed. That's when he found the source of it.

It was the sunrise.

**XXX**

_Please _review and give me some advice and story ideas for the next chapters. I pretty much have the plot set out, but I'd be definitely willing to add a twist here and there.

Thanks a bunch for reading, everyone! :)

**XXX  
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	14. Brief Intermission Update, Sorry!

**XXX**

I AM still alive, everyone, I promise! I haven't been on fanfiction at all in like the past 6 months, I know, but for any of you who are still subscribed to my stories and read this, thank you SO much.

And I'm SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO sorry for not updating. I know I hate it when authors do that... so I'm really just a big hypocrite...

I recently lost my story "A story for myself" because I'm in the process of moving to a different house, and my computer is all packed away :'( But I am going to find it very soon and hook it up so I can write. You can expect the story(s) to continue within the next few weeks!

Thanks so much, everyone

**XXX**


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